Smother Me
by harryginny1
Summary: Harry loves Ginny beyond all reason and would do anything to make her happy. When Ginny is threatened, will Harry leave her behind again to protect her? Rated M for lemons and language...
1. Chapter 1

**Smother Me**

Harry loves Ginny beyond all reason and would do absolutely anything to make her happy. When she is threatened, will Harry leave her behind again to protect her? Rated M for lemons and language.

The title of the story is inspired by a song of the same name by The Used. They're a fantastic band, go and check them out.

**CP 1**

_Let me be the one to call you baby all the time. Surely, you can take some comfort knowing that you're mine. Just hold me tight, lay by my side, and let me be the one to call you baby all the time._

_- Smother Me, by The Used_

Harry took Ginny in his arms and held her tight, grateful that she was with him, grateful that she had forgiven him for leaving her.

Thankfully, she had forgiven him quickly once the final battle was finished. Their eyes had met across the Great Hall - well, her eyes had really never _left_ his form once he had thrown the invisibility cloak off and faced Voldemort - and Harry knew, just _**knew**_ instinctively, that he would never want to be apart from her again. He was surrounded by hundreds of people clapping him on the back with congratulations, but when his eyes met Ginny's, they had been the only two people in the world.

Later that night they had found each other, quietly, in the Gryffindor common room after the few students left in the tower were sound asleep. At first neither of them had spoken, finding quiet comfort in each other's arms. Then, for hours after they poured out their hearts and souls to each other. Telling tales - some sad, some stunning - of their year apart – their battles, their struggles, their common heartache.

When their tongues were tired from talking, and the morning sun was beginning to spread her pinkish rays through the tall windows of the tower, Harry stood and pulled Ginny to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tight to his chest, then he fell to one knee.

"Ginny," he began softly, looking up into her eyes, "this past year has been hell, and not only because I was staring death in the face everyday, but because I wasn't with you. I was a stupid sod thinking that I could protect you better by separating myself from you. All I succeeded in doing was adding misery and pain into my already warped psyche. But, seeing you again yesterday, it was like coming home, Gin. I realized that wherever you are, that's exactly where I need to be. I love you," he faltered, his voice cracking from the emotions coursing through him, and Ginny grinned, ignoring the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Please, Gin, _please_, will you marry me – stay with me forever?"

She stood there stunned. She had no idea what she was supposed to do – what was the proper reaction to have when all of your dreams came true at the very same moment?

She dropped to her knees, as they were unable to keep her upright any longer. She tipped Harry's chin so that he was looking in her eyes, and she nodded. She squeaked out a weak, "yes," and then she was crushed in Harry's arms and they were kissing and crying at the same time.

"Promise me something, Harry," Ginny said, pulling away from him slightly.

"Anything," he replied, helping her up and bringing her to sit on the couch near the fireplace.

"I need to know, Harry, that you will never leave me behind again. I don't want to be protected or lied to, not even if you think it's for my own good. I need to know that you will always be truthful with me, good or bad, and that we will be partners in this life. Where you are, that's where I will need to be," she finished, echoing his words.

Harry looked into her eyes, the deep chocolate brown eyes that he couldn't live without, and he nodded. "I promise, Ginny, never again." She nodded, too.

"Okay, then." They smiled and kissed gently.

**Xxx**

That was two months ago, and Harry had been alternating between staying at the Burrow with the Weasley's and Hermione and at Grimmauld Place, and they were all trying to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. They had attended more funerals then Harry cared to recount, ending four weeks ago, agonizingly, with Fred's.

Since then, Hermione and Ron had gone and retrieved her parents from Australia, and Harry had spent many hours holding Ginny and helping her through her pain, letting her cry when she needed to, and rage and scream when she needed that, too.

And one warm afternoon in mid-July, the two of them went to Diagon Alley and picked out a simple, but flawless diamond ring for Ginny. They had found it in a vintage shop down at the end of a winding lane, and Ginny had fell in love with it instantly. She loved the fact that the ring had belonged to someone else, that it had a history.

Harry and Ginny announced their engagement to her family that night at dinner, to unexpected reactions.

The family, especially Ginny's brothers, wasn't happy at all with the news. That night, and for the past two weeks, Harry and Ginny had been on the receiving end of constant glares and side-long glances from Ginny's brothers, and even from her parents on occasion. They weren't quite ready to accept that Ginny had forgiven Harry and that they were back together.

Her parents had actually forbidden it. _Forbidden_ it! Harry hated sneaking around with her, trying to steal kisses and touches whenever they could. It made him feel like they were doing something wrong by being in love, but he flatly refused to be separated from Ginny again, no matter what anyone said.

He had tried to explain to the Weasley's repeatedly why he had broken it off with Ginny the previous year, but all they could remember was the months of pain and heartbreak that Ginny had endured after Harry chucked her. He was shamed, and felt even worse every time Ginny tried to console him.

**Xxx**

Today was Harry's birthday, a hot, sunny beautiful day in late July. Harry pretended that he was spending a couple of hours at Grimmauld Place and then going to spend some time in Diagon Alley as Ginny headed out the door with a blanket, a book, and her suntan oil. She kissed Harry goodbye, scowled at her brothers and left through the back door, not speaking to any member of her family. Harry flooed to #12, changed his clothes, grabbed some clothes for later, and then apparated directly to the edge of the lake, a mile from the Burrow.

Ginny joined him moments later, and Harry immediately placed a disillusionment charm over them both, and then cast muffliato to silence them to everything around them. They lay, side by side, soaking up the sun, but Harry couldn't rip his eyes away from Ginny, her body in that skimpy blue bikini was the stuff that his dreams were made of.

She peeked at Harry from the corner of her eye and chuckled. He blushed at being caught staring at her once again, but Ginny just rolled over into Harry's arms and grinned.

"You're adorable when you're embarrassed," she told him and he grimaced.

"Gin," he began seriously, pulling her closer. "I love you. I hate hiding; hate lying to your family."

She smiled at she looked up into his emerald eyes. "I love you, too, Harry, and I hate it, too. It'll get better, we just have to be patient a little longer. They'll come around." She sighed, "I don't want to talk about them today, Harry, I just want to be with you. Happy birthday…"

"Thank you…" he said softly, bent his head and pressed his lips against hers. She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, licking at his bottom lip until he opened his mouth to her. The swirl of her tongue in his mouth made Harry groan with pleasure and he felt her lips curl into a smile against his kiss.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just love the sounds that you make," she replied, smiling, looking at his mouth, tracing his lips with her finger. "I love your lips – I could spend _hours_ feasting on your lips - they're so soft and warm. And, I love it when you think something's really hysterical, and you smile so wide that your upper lip completely disappears and the dimple on your left cheek stands out. That's my favorite one of your eight hundred kinds of smiles."

His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he listened to her, amazed that she seemed to feel about him the exact same way he felt about her. He opened his mouth slightly and flicked his tongue out to taste Ginny's finger and it was her turn to groan. She closed her eyes and leaned back into his kiss, deepening it. She ran her hands along his ribs and back, the thick muscles in his neck, reveling in the feel of his body against hers.

Ginny released Harry's mouth and sprinkled kisses along his jaw line. She absolutely loved it when he didn't shave for a couple of days – the rough stubble scraping along her sensitive skin, making her groan. She yearned to feel his whiskers raking across her bare breasts.

She took his glasses off and laid them to the side on top of his t-shirt, and glanced back into his deep green eyes, running her hands through his dark hair. She dipped her tongue into the small crevice in his chin, and then sucked on the spot that he loved behind his left ear.

"Ginny…" he moaned, running his hands down her arms and sides, bringing his hands up under her breasts. His thumbs traced small circles on the bare skin of her stomach, making her nipples pucker instantly, and Harry felt them through the thin fabric of her swimsuit. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensations coursing through him, hoping that his very apparent erection wasn't being noticed by Ginny.

She circled his nipple with her tongue then sucked it into her mouth, teasing him lightly with her teeth. Harry exhaled sharply, and he tugged at the tiny strings tied around Ginny's neck.

She couldn't control the overwhelming feelings flowing through her body. She _wanted_ Harry with her entire being. Never wanted to stop touching and tasting him. She wanted to explore every single crevice of his body over and over again. They had teased each other all summer long with long caresses, exploring tongues, deep kisses. They had touched, but had never seen each other completely naked before. Ginny wanted more, wanted everything.

She could feel her core become slick when she pulled Harry's nipple into her mouth, and when she saw the tent his erection created in his bathing suit, she reveled in the fact that it was _her_ that was doing that to him.

The flimsy material of her top fell as Harry finished untying the strings around her back, and he tossed her top to the side. Ginny pressed herself against Harry then, loving the feeling of their bare skins touching. She moved from side to side, Harry's chest hair brushing against her breasts, making her nipples erect once again.

"Jesus, you feel so good," Ginny said. Harry rubbed his hands down her bare back, letting her long, thick hair run through his fingers.

"Sit up, Gin," Harry said, his voice suddenly thick, as he pulled her up by her shoulders. She threw her leg over Harry's hips and faced him, and he gazed down at her bare breasts. "You're so beautiful – so perfect." He reached up and held her full breasts in his hands.

Harry sat up with Ginny still on his lap, she was feeling his stiff dick against her bum he was sure, and he kissed her deeply. Their tongues dancing and teasing and tasting. Ginny ran her tongue along his teeth and then back deep into his mouth, grinding gently into his hips. He held her tongue lightly between his teeth and sucked on it, making Ginny moan and exhale into his mouth.

"I'd do anything to hear you make that sound again," Harry mumbled as he held Ginny's shoulders and pushed her back slightly so she rested her weight on her hands behind her – and he felt her long hair brush against his thighs. He sucked on her neck, marking her there, and then took her taut, pale pink nipple into his mouth, licking her and sucking hard, making her groan his name loudly.

A hot jolt ran directly from her nipple in Harry's mouth to her core. She was so wet, she was sure that Harry's lap would be soaked through if she ever climbed off. "God, Harry," she said, wrapping strands of Harry's hair in her fingers, holding him in place, "please don't stop, don't ever fucking stop."

"I don't intend to," he whispered as he made his way to her other nipple, licking it and running his teeth lightly over the sensitive tip, as he rolled her abandoned nipple between his fingers. He held her breast with one hand and cupped her ass with the other.

"Aah!" she screamed throwing her head back, grinding her hips back and forth over Harry's cock, making him groan against her chest.

"Fuck, Ginny, Jesus!" he said, and she moved from his hips, chuckling. She untied the string of his swim shorts, hooked her fingers under the waistband and pulled them gently down to Harry's ankles, and he tossed them to the side with his toes.

Ginny stared at Harry's dick, long and thick and beautiful and couldn't help but lick her lips in anticipation. "Fuck," he said as he watched her lips curl into a smile, his dick twitching. Harry untied the strings at the sides of her bikini bottom and threw the offending item next to her top.

Harry held her by her shoulders and made her look at him. "Ginny, are you sure you're ready? Really sure? We don't have to do this now – I can wait for you."

"God, yes, Harry, I'm ready. I want to feel you inside of me. I _need_ you moving deep inside of me."

"Jesus," he cursed again, turning her onto her back on the soft blanket and spreading her thighs with his own. She looked down at him on his knees between her legs and smiled. She reached down and stroked his dick, spreading the beads of pre-cum that were dripping from his tip around his head.

"Mmm…" Harry said as he watched Ginny's hand pump him gently. "Fuck that feels good." As soon as he said "fuck" again, Ginny moaned and could feel the slickness spread between her legs again. Ginny pushed him back onto his heels as she sat up, leaned over him and grazed the tip with her tongue, then without warning, took Harry as far into her mouth as she could. She sucked and licked him hard, unwilling to stop, even when he tried to grab her head and pull her away. "Gin, please…I'm gonna come…stop!"

Instead, she grabbed his ass and shoved him in deeper, loving the feeling of Harry's dick hitting the back of her throat. She moaned loudly, the vibration reverberating over his cock and he threaded her hair around his hands, pulling gently.

"Fuck!!" Harry screamed, throwing his head back. "Ginny, now, move!" But, she didn't let him go as he came in long, hot spurts into her mouth. Ginny cupped his balls, squeezing gently until he was spent, swallowing everything he gave her. She released his dick then and smiled at Harry.

"You're fucking delicious," she said and smiled again, licking her lips.

"Christ," Harry said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "You're amazing." He pushed her gently onto her back and lay down between her legs, pushing her knees up so her feet were flat on the blanket.

"Mmm…I'm going to enjoy this," Harry said, staring at her pink core. "You smell so good and you're so wet for me, aren't you? My mouth is watering for you, baby."

Ginny groaned and closed her eyes, her head rolling to the side. She loved him talking to her like this. God, it made her so wet. Harry spread her cunt with his thumbs, and licked from her hole to her clit. Ginny screamed and arched her back, unable to believe that anything could feel this good.

"Fuck, Harry! God, more…" she yelled, rolling her nipples between her fingers.

"Mmm…" he said again watching her tease her nipples, "You taste so fucking good – so sweet." He licked her again, the best fucking ice cream cone that he ever had in his mouth. He stiffened his tongue and plunged it as deep as he could into Ginny, making her scream his name. Harry smiled into her cunt at hearing his name on her lips.

He scraped his stubbly chin back and forth over her clit, his eyes never leaving her face, and Ginny grabbed fistfuls of his hair. "Fuck, Harry, yes!! Holy shit!" He pushed two fingers deep into her cunt and her back arched again as she came hard around Harry's fingers. He plunged them into her again and again until she was no longer pulsing.

He laid back by Ginny's side and she lunged into his arms, still breathing heavy.

"Jesus," she managed to say after a few minutes. He nodded, "I know."

She looked up into his face, noticing that his face and jaw were still covered in her juices. She dragged herself up onto her elbow and licked his chin as Harry closed his eyes and smiled.

"You're right, I do taste good," Ginny said and Harry chuckled deep in his chest. She laughed and licked him again.

"Mmm-Hmm…" he said and pulled her closer. She draped her leg over his and noticed his dick was hard again.

"Harry…" she said, looking at him again. "Now?"

Harry rolled Ginny onto her back once again and crawled between her legs. "Gin, I love you."

"I love you, Harry," she replied and they smiled.

Harry exhaled and grabbed his cock, resting his tip against her entrance, not wanting to hurt her, but knowing it was inevitable. He pushed into her gently, only allowing his head to enter and Ginny gasped – she tingled from head to toe and her chest constricted – she smiled.

"Mmm…you feel so good, Harry." He rocked forward and back, entering her a little more each time. Finally, after a few strokes, he felt the membrane inside of her, and he said, "Gin, this'll hurt for a minute. Are you ready? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she sat up as best she could so she could hold onto Harry's shoulders. "Okay."

Harry kissed her and rocked back, exiting her a little and then plunged back in until he was fully encased in her. Ginny gasped again and held onto Harry, digging her fingers into his shoulders and shutting her eyes tightly. Harry held still, letting her get used to the feeling of him inside of her, letting her pain subside.

"Mmm…" she said after a minute and lying back down. "Jesus, Harry, you feel fucking amazing. Please…more…"

Harry grinned and began to move in and out of Ginny gently. She smiled at his gentleness, then wrapped her legs around his ass and pulled him towards her roughly. He lost his balance and fell onto his hands, laughing with her.

"I take it you want more?" he asked, smiling.

"God yes, harder!" she answered, smiling at him. "Move your ass, Potter."

"Just remember you asked for it…" he said smiling again, plunging into her hard as she sucked in her breath, closing her eyes.

"Fuck, Harry, yes! Just like that!" she screamed. He plowed into her again and again, the feeling of being inside of Ginny overwhelming his senses. Harry leaned forward again, putting his weight on his hands on either side of Ginny's waist.

He kept thrusting, squeezing his eyes shut, panting. He pushed in harder and harder, his balls slapping against her with every thrust. He was mesmerized by her breasts – the way they bounced up and down every time he drove into her. Ginny moaned endlessly, her head thrashing from side to side, her hands running along the muscles in his arms, her hips lifting to meet his.

"Harry, I love you, you are everything that I'll ever want," she said, looking at his face and smiling at his expression.

Harry shook his head in amusement. One minute Ginny was screaming and cursing at him to fuck her harder, and the next she was tender and loving. He loved her, all of her, he never knew what she'd say or do next.

He leaned down and kissed her, "I love you, too." He withdrew to his head and then plowed one final time into Ginny, erupting hard within her, and she threw her legs around him, her cunt spasming uncontrollably around Harry's pulsing cock, draining him again.

Once their orgasms subsided, he held Ginny and looked into her eyes so filled with love, a true reflection of his own.

After a while they got up and dressed, Harry taking down the charms that he had cast, and they walked slowly back towards the Burrow, not touching in case someone should see them together.

Harry leaned in and whispered in Ginny's ear, "I loved it when you talked dirty to me," he smirked and she laughed.

"As long as you keep saying 'fuck' during, we're going to be alright," she replied and Harry roared with laughter.

"You liked that, huh?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, yeah," she said, nodding her head vigorously. "Happy birthday, Harry."

"The best birthday of my life…thank you." He brushed his finger over her cheek, and she smiled, realizing that it still smelled like her core. They separated then and returned to the Burrow, Ginny first, then Harry a half hour later, still smiling.

~~xxxx~~~

That night Harry lie in bed at Grimmauld Place, thinking about what had happened that afternoon. He kept seeing Ginny's breasts bouncing up and down as he thrust his cock into her again and again. He had never seen a more beautiful sight or felt as happy and complete as he did this afternoon. He felt like he could produce the brightest and most distinct patronus of his life right now.

In her room, Ginny was thinking along the same lines as Harry, except that she was picturing Harry's cock between her lips. It had been heaven having him in her mouth this afternoon, and hearing him say 'fuck' nearly drove Ginny right over the edge.

It had been a fantastic day…


	2. Chapter 2

**CP 2**

_I found my place in the world, could stare at your face for the rest of my days. Now, I can breathe, turn my insides out and smother me. Warm and alive, I'm all over you, will you smother me?_

_- Smother Me by The Used_

On Ginny's birthday, nearly two weeks later, Ginny went to Grimmauld Place to spend the day with Harry, promising that she would be back with Harry for dinner. It would be a pleasant change to not have to deal with glares from her brothers all day long. Ginny flooed in right after breakfast and went straight to Harry's bedroom upstairs.

He was sleeping still, curled up under the covers, facing away from her. She smiled as she took off her clothes and curled up behind Harry, wrapping her arms around his torso. She snuggled her face into his back inhaling his scent deeply and running her tongue along his skin. Instinctively, he took her hands, wrapping her arms tighter around his body and sighing contentedly.

Harry rolled over and kissed Ginny. "Happy birthday, Gin," he said sleepily.

"Thank you," she replied. "I can think of a great present that you can give me."

Harry smirked, opening his eyes. "Can you? What would that be?" He pulled her tight to him.

She reached between them and stroked his manhood gently through his pajama bottoms. "This," she replied.

"Hmm…maybe, if you're a good girl." Ginny laughed. Harry got up and went to the bathroom. He came back ten minutes later, his teeth brushed. Ginny was at the window, looking down onto the street. Harry crossed the room to her and took her hand and she leaned into his shoulder.

"I love being here where we can be alone, Harry. No one watching us, wondering where we are every second, scowling at us if we spend more then five minutes together," Ginny said and Harry nodded.

"We can do anything we want here," he replied, and raised his eyebrow at Ginny, the possibilities flowing through his mind. She laughed at his expression, guessing at the things he was thinking – hoping he had a good imagination. He laughed, too, blushing at the direction his thoughts had taken. This could prove to be very interesting.

She laughed.

"What?" he asked, hugging her tight.

"I don't want to tell you what I'm thinking - you're going to realize that I'm a sick, twisted pervert," Ginny answered seriously.

"_Really_?" Harry asked, intrigued, and he smiled wide. "Well, I'll show my sick, twisted thoughts if you show me yours…" Ginny laughed, but still didn't look convinced. She chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if she could really do this. She sighed, good or bad she was resigned to try…it was her birthday, after all…then she turned to Harry.

"Alright, but just remember you asked for it," she said and grinned evilly. "Take off your clothes, go over to the bed and bend over, put your hands on the bed and stay there with your eyes closed."

"Jesus, you got over your apprehension fairly quickly," Harry said, laughing and she blushed. He complied with her wishes and did as he was told, enjoying Ginny's sudden dominant behavior. Ginny smirked as Harry's took off his boxers and walked to the bed naked, bent at the waist and splayed his hands over his covers.

"Let's try out some of these sick thoughts, Harry, shall we?" Ginny asked. She walked slowly to his closet as she removed the t-shirt that she had thrown on when Harry went to the bathroom. She reached into his closet, taking a long, thin belt from the back. She moved back behind Harry and started stroking his ass cheeks with her hands.

He kept his eyes closed and jokingly said, "Be gentle, it's my first time." Ginny giggled and continued running her fingers and nails across Harry's ass and back, causing goose bumps to ripple over his skin.

Ginny doubled the belt and snapped it hard, giving Harry his first indication of what was to come, then she said, "That all depends on what you'll do for me."

"I'll do anything for you," Harry replied seriously.

"Oh, I know that," Ginny said, "and trust me, I plan to collect." Ginny's voice became harsh as she said, "You've been a very bad boy haven't you, Harry?" and she snapped the belt again, hard.

He had no idea how to respond, suddenly wondering what he had gotten himself into. He swallowed loudly, and Ginny giggled when she heard this. "Harry, it's okay, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. Do you want me to stop?"

"No, you just took me by surprise there for a minute, I guess," he said.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll take care of you. Spread you legs for me," she practically purred. He exhaled and did as she asked.

Ginny caressed Harry's ass with her hands first, running her hands everywhere, her fingers sliding down into his crack, across the pucker of his ass to his balls. She reached between his legs and slid her hand up and down his cock, moaning when she felt how hard he was. Harry closed his eyes and groaned loudly.

"Shit, Gin, yeah," he said. She pulled back then, gently swishing the belt back and forth across his cheeks, then lightly tapping it against his skin.

"Mmm…God," he moaned. She tapped a little harder and Harry began to squirm, his hips swaying from side to side. She pulled the belt away for a moment, letting him anticipate what was coming, then,

_Thwack!!_

Ginny brought the belt down across his cheeks, hard.

"Fuck! Holy fuck that hurt! Shit, Gin!" Harry screamed and he grabbed his ass as Ginny smiled.

"Mmm…you should see how beautiful you look now, love. Your ass is so red." She moved Harry's hand away and kissed his ass cheek where the belt had connected. She brushed her cheeks from side to side, savoring the feel of his soft hair against her face. "I love you so much."

"Jesus," Harry said lowering his head to rest on his bed, loving the feel of her face against his ass, and it _was_ soothing the sting a little. After the first initial shock of pain, the pleasure he felt from the belt went straight to his cock, which was now pointing in front of him at full attention. "You _**are**_ fucking twisted," he told her, "but I love you so much."

"Mmm... I knew you'd like it, Harry. I can't wait until it's my turn," Ginny groaned still grinding her face into his ass. She flicked her tongue out and lapped at his red skin, trying to comfort him as she continued to run the belt lightly over his skin. She waited, knowing that he would say the words that she wanted to hear soon enough.

He closed his eyes again, letting himself enjoy the sensations that he was feeling – trying not to think about the fact that she wanted him to spank her, too…hmm. She kept running the belt across his cheeks and he hated to admit it, but he wanted to feel it snap against his skin again.

"Gin…" he said softly and she smiled.

"Yeah?" she replied, pressing her breasts to his ass now.

"Do it again…" he said, his dick pulsing in front of him at the very thought of the leather connecting with his ass. He could see the beads of pre-cum dripping from his dick onto his coverlet.

Ginny grinned and leaned back away from him, grazing the belt across his skin, then holding it back from him for a second. Waiting…waiting…then,

_Thwack! _

His ass blazed again, but Ginny was rubbing and licking his skin again. This time he didn't scream, but groaned in pleasure. He didn't think his cock could get any harder, but he felt like if Ginny hit him one more time, he would explode. His balls were aching for release. Just one more hit…

He rocked his ass from side to side, his head burrowing further into his bed. Ginny grazed his ass with her fingers again and Harry moaned loudly. She couldn't help but smile at the sight before her.

"God, Harry, you are so fucking beautiful." She rubbed her face against him again, nipping at his skin with her teeth. She licked his crack, spreading his cheeks as her tongue traveled over the pucker of his asshole and he groaned again. She licked his balls and took them into her mouth, but she wasn't ready for him to come yet.

"Your ass is fucking perfect, you have no idea how much your body excites me, baby," Ginny said. "I never want to stop touching you, ever – last night we were sitting at the table having dinner with my family and all I could think about was having your cock in my mouth."

"Fuck…" was all that Harry managed to say. She pulled back away from him again, and Harry pulsed with anticipation. "Fuck, Gin, I'm so close, I just need one more, please, one more, baby."

"Well…" she responded calmly. "You have been a good boy, so I think I'll allow you to come now. Is that what you want, baby? Do you want to come for me?"

"Fuck, yes, please!" Harry screamed. She smiled and he could feel her lips curl against his ass cheek.

"Okay, baby, get ready…" she paused…

_Thwack! _

Once the hard leather slapped against Harry's ass, cum shot out of his cock before he knew what was happening. "Ginny - ungh!!" he screamed. His balls tightened until they ached and he pulsed long threads of cum until he collapsed on top of his bed, not caring that he landed right in the pool of jizz that now coated the covers.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Gin!" Harry said loudly as she chuckled, spooning into his back as she continued to rub his ass to soothe the ache. "What the fuck was that?!"

'That, my love, was one of my many twisted fantasies."

"Christ, you're gonna kill me." He tried to concentrate for the next few minutes on getting his breathing back to normal, and Ginny lay patiently against his back, tracing random patterns against his ass cheeks. Once he felt like he could speak complete sentences, he rolled over into her waiting arms.

They lay there, silently, overwhelmed by the depth of their feelings. Harry pulled away and looked into Ginny's eyes and smiled. He reached over her and grabbed the object just behind her back. He brought it back over her, letting the leather graze over her skin as he did and she shivered in anticipation…

"Get on all fours, right now," Harry commanded. Ginny smirked and turned over, pulling herself onto her knees in the middle of his bed. "Spread you legs wide for me."

Ginny groaned, doing as she was told, and putting her head down on the covers. Harry got off the bed and Ginny looked over her shoulder at him trying to see what he was doing.

Harry turned back to her, glaring at her, his eyes suddenly dark and a bit frightening.

"Did I tell you that you could look at me?" he asked menacingly.

"N…no," she muttered, turning back to face the bed, very willing to play along with him.

"Keep your eyes forward and don't disobey me again," he said. "You won't like the consequences if you do."

She smiled to herself, feeling excited and so close to coming already, she had to concentrate on reciting Shakespeare's sonnets and not on the tightening she was feeling in her belly. This was going to feel so good…

"Keep your eyes closed," he commanded. "If you look at me, I won't touch you, and you want me to touch you, don't you?"

"Yes," she purred. She closed her eyes tight, and could hear him moving something heavy across the floor and leaving it somewhere to her right. She didn't look, didn't even turn her head in his direction.

She could feel him climb back onto the bed, settling himself just behind her ass. It was the most delicious feeling, knowing that he was studying her, smelling her excitement, but not being allowed to look at him. He stayed very still, not talking to her or touching her, and her body quivered with anticipation. Finally,

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, spread wide for me like this? I don't even have to touch you and already the juices from your beautiful pussy are starting to drip down your leg. You're close already, aren't you?" he asked. She could feel his breath on her ass, that's how near he was to her.

"Yes," she answered again. He leaned forward and licked the inside of her thigh, tasting her juices. Ginny groaned again – Harry pulled back.

"You are not allowed to come until I tell you to, is that clear?" he said sternly.

"Yes," she repeated, loving this uninhibited side of Harry. Now, if he'd only say 'fuck' a few more times…

He held the leather belt in his hand and was about to rake it across her ass, but changed his mind and tossed the belt away. He bent down to Ginny and ran his tongue lightly across her cheeks, making her moan at the contact. He licked her everywhere, spreading her ass wider and running his fingers down her crack, past the pucker of her ass, through her dripping folds to her clit and back again.

She screamed out, "Harry!! Fuck, yes, Harry!" and wiggled her ass against his fingers.

"Stay still," he demanded. His fingers smeared her juices from her pussy across her ass, wetting the skin across her cheeks. He pulled his hand away briefly and then,

_Smack!_

He smacked her ass hard with his hand, immediately rubbing it with his fingers. Soothing her.

"Aah…" Ginny said and sucked in a deep breath, taken by surprise by the slap, but loving the feeling of his hands spanking her ass. It was so much better then she ever imagined. Raw heat spread from the area that he slapped and settled deep in her core.

She practically writhed in pleasure, but tried to control her actions. She knew better then to move her hips, he didn't like it when she moved. Instead, she moaned and put her head down on the covers, pushing her ass up further and spreading herself as wide as she could for him.

"Oh, you liked that, huh? Would you rather have my hands smack your ass then the belt?"

"Yes, your hands, please. They feel so fucking good."

"Your ass is amazing. It's so red, and you can see the imprint of my hand right here." Harry traced the outline of his handprint with his fingers then with his tongue.

"Fuck, Harry," she said. "Please…"

"Please, what?" Harry said. "Tell me…"

"Please spank me again…please…hard."

He smiled. "Alright, because you asked so nicely…"

_Smack!_

Ginny moaned loudly, "Jesus, that feels so fucking good, Harry," she said.

"Ginny turn your head to the right and open your eyes."

She did and was facing an image of them in his standing mirror - Harry on his knees behind her, his hand a few inches above her ass cheek and her on all fours in front of him. It was the most erotic thing she'd ever seen. She moaned and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. His dick, hard once again, pulsed in front of him and she could hardly tear her eyes away from it.

"I want you to watch this. You're so beautiful when you're being spanked, love," he said, smiling. She smiled back, panting now, never taking her eyes from his hand. He traced light circles across her ass, then,

_Smack! Smack! Smack!_

He brought his hand down hard on her ass three times, and she groaned again, pushing her ass back into his rigid cock – unable to stop herself.

"Please Harry, fuck…" she said, trying to catch her breath.

"Please what?"

"Please let me come, I'm so fucking close," she replied.

"I don't know, you still don't understand the concept of staying still like I told you to."

"I'm sorry."

He brought the fingers of his left hand around the front of her hip and rubbed her clit. Ginny did everything she could to stay as still as possible, but couldn't stop the low, guttural moan that escaped her lips. Her eyes were still on their bodies, so close to each other - his right hand still floating menacingly over her ass, his left rubbing her clit furiously.

"Okay, you can come now."

Harry shoved his rigid cock into Ginny's dripping core and at the same smacked her ass hard repeatedly with his right hand. Ginny screamed his name at the top of her lungs and her cunt clamped down around his cock, both of them coming in long hard contractions. Harry continued to pump in and out of her hard, lengthening her climax. Neither of them could take their eyes from the mirror.

"Fuck," she said as she finally collapsed on the bed in much the same way that Harry had half an hour before. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she murmured for what seemed like hours before she could finally catch her breath. "Are you sure you never did that to anyone else?"

"Quite sure, yes," he replied smiling. "Was it okay, then?"

"_Okay??!_ You could write a fucking book on that, Harry. The mirror was a stroke of genius, by the way…"

Harry laughed out loud and rolled onto his back, very proud of himself. "That was great."

She rolled over and into his arms. "I love you so much, Harry."

"I can't imagine living without you, Gin, I love you."

"It's so crazy, but that word – love - it just doesn't quite cover it, does it? It's such an inadequate description of what I feel for you, Harry. There is no way that I'm living a single day without you for the rest of my life."

"I was hoping that you'd say that," he said, pulling her close, kissing her. "These past three months with you have been the best of my life, Gin. I just feel…so…blessed, I guess is the best description. Weird, huh?"

"No," Ginny answered honestly and looked up into his eyes. "Not weird at all considering everything you've been through."

"It's just been so…peaceful…you know? I can finally _breathe_. After seven years of constantly having to watch my back, or worry about someone attacking me or the people that I care about, I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and now I actually get the chance to be happy now…to have a life of my own. Does that make any sense?" he asked.

"Of course, and you _can_ be happy now, Harry. Now, you can do anything you want to do. What will make you happy?" she asked.

"Being with you," he answered honestly and she smiled.

"That's a given already. What else?"

"I'm not really sure. I think eventually I would like to be an Auror, but I think I want to just do nothing for a while more. I want to travel and just have a little bit of fun for a while. Just _live_."

"Sounds nice," she replied.

"Yeah," he said, then looked in her troubled eyes. "What is it?"

"Just wondering where I fit into those plans…" she said.

He tipped her chin so that she was looking in her eyes. "Gin, there's no future for me without you in it. Let's get married now and let's go…what do you say? Do you need a huge, white wedding with all the trimmings, or can we do it simply and start our life together _now_?"

"All I need is you and me forever, Harry. I don't need a full-blown wedding, but I would like my family to be there. Small and private and _soon_. How does that sound?" she asked.

"Brilliant, actually. Just us and then we begin our lives…" he smiled.

"This is such a strange conversation to have while my ass is still stinging from being spanked…" Ginny said, making Harry laugh out loud. He rolled her onto her stomach.

"Still stinging, huh? Let me see if I can soothe it a little bit…" and he began licking and caressing her ass cheeks. "Better?" he asked.

"Not yet…I'll tell you when…" she replied softly, closing her eyes.

Harry smiled and continued his ministrations.

They spent the rest of the day in bed, alternating between sleeping and loving each other. And, at 4PM, Harry woke Ginny with a kiss after a second, much more intense spanking session. Harry had used the belt on Ginny, and this time, Ginny had spanked Harry with her hands. Their bottoms were red and achy, and it hurt to sit for any period of time.

"Come on let's shower, we have to get moving soon." They made their way to the bathroom and washed each other's bodies quickly, knowing that time was of the essence and they didn't have time to explore any longer.

As they dressed, Harry asked Ginny, "So, were you really thinking about having my dick in your mouth while we were eating dinner last night?"

She laughed and had the nerve to blush, but nodded all the same. "Yeah, you can pretty much rest assured that if we're in the same room together, I am definitely picturing you naked and me doing nasty things with your body," she responded, holding him tight.

"Wow," he responded.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing – it's just nice knowing that I'm not the only pervert in the room, then," he responded and they laughed together, grabbing the floo powder and disappearing into the fireplace.

They spent the remainder of the evening with the Weasley's. Ginny did the best that she could in appearing to be happy while the family was much more subdued then usual. Ron and Hermione were much better at making Ginny laugh and it felt like a real celebration when the four of them could be alone together.

Ginny walked Harry to the fireplace late that night and kissed him deeply. "Thank you for making my birthday so special. I love you, and I loved the birthday spankings." She smiled and winked, and Harry laughed.

"It was the least I could do, since it was impossible to top the gift you gave me for my birthday," he whispered and kissed her again. Ginny laughed out loud.

"I guess you have a point! See you in the morning love, come over early, okay?" she asked.

"Before you're even awake…" he said, kissing her and he was gone.

**Xxx**

Ginny woke early, instantly remembering very vividly the day she'd spent with Harry, her ass still felt the beautiful sting of his hands. She had actually spanked him with a belt! She swung her legs over the side of her bed and realized that her panties were soaked through – she was drenched again just from _dreaming_ about what they'd done – even her thighs were slick. She smiled – it had been a very good day.

Ginny showered slowly, enjoying the hot water pounding against her body and she instantly thought of Harry. She pictured him here with her in the shower and let her mind wander to all of the things she'd like him to do to her with that showerhead… she'd have to add that to her list…

She dressed and went down to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. She brought her tea and a book out onto the back porch and settled into the large wicker loveseat with the soft cushion that she loved to curl up in. She tucked her legs underneath her and waited, knowing that it wouldn't be long.

Harry woke up in his own bed this morning and rolled over. "Ow," he said out loud as he sat up in bed and grabbed his ass. "What the fuck?" he said, and then remembered, smiling.

"My God, it was real, it really fucking happened," he murmured to himself, smiling again. The belt – his hands! Jesus.

He showered and dressed quickly, brushed his teeth and hair and walked downstairs, grabbing a fistful of floo powder and went directly to the Burrow. He crept up the stairs and peeked into Ginny's room. Seeing that she was already gone, he smiled, knowing just where to find her this early in the morning. He continued down the stairs and poured himself a cup of tea, grabbing a biscuit on his way out the back door.

He saw her then, she was radiant. Her hair, still damp from her shower was glistening as the morning sun streaked through it, igniting it like flames. Her face was scrubbed and free of makeup, and he could see in her the slight little girl of ten that he had met at King's Cross seven years before. So beautiful.

"How's the ass?" she asked, smiling. He laughed out loud - she had just shattered the innocent image of her that he had conjured.

"A little sore, I'm not gonna lie," he answered, smiling at her. He approached her chair and leaned down, "How's yours?"

"Fantastic," she replied. "It's still a little tingly."

Harry smiled the uninhibited, wide beautiful smile that Ginny loved. She took his hands in hers and kissed them tenderly.

"Did I thank you properly for yesterday?" she asked. "It was amazing."

He nodded, "incredible." They sat side by side enjoying the crisp morning air. She finally laid down, her head in his lap as he ran his fingers through her hair, untangling it as she read her book. He covered her with the blanket from the back of the loveseat.

"I love you, Harry," Ginny whispered.

Even if last night never happened for them again, Harry didn't care. He could build his life around this, just sitting here with her in the sunshine, doing nothing but running his fingers through her hair. He would be content with doing anything or nothing as long as he was with Ginny.


	3. Chapter 3

**CP 3**

_Let me be the one who never leaves you all alone. I hold my breath and lose this feeling that I'm on my own. Hold me too tight, stay by my side, and let me be the one who calls you baby all the time._

_- Smother Me by The Used_

During the day at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny couldn't be their true selves, couldn't spend any uninterrupted time together, couldn't kiss or even hold hands without someone glaring at them. Unless they stole away to Grimmauld Place, which they weren't allowed to do often, they were stuck at the Burrow, amid constant stares and prying eyes.

They managed to slip away to the lake a couple of more times during the next couple of weeks, but they were being watched much more closely lately by the Weasley's. Ginny was coming close to her breaking point with her family, so Harry tried to take matters into his own hands a few days later.

"Mr. Weasley, can we take a walk, please?" Harry asked him one morning after an early breakfast.

"Certainly, Harry," Mr. Weasley said, shooting a furtive glance at his wife. The two men headed out the back door walking towards the orchard. Ginny stood in the doorway watching them walk away slowly, she turned and met her Mum's eyes briefly then continued up the stairs to her room, her eyes sad. Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily and returned to the dishes.

"Mr. Weasley, I don't know quite where to begin," Harry exhaled and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "This situation with me and Ginny…it's gotten a bit out of control. I was hoping that you would understand about last year, about why I thought it was best to separate myself from her. I thought that if Voldemort knew that I had any feelings for her whatsoever, that she would become a primary target for his vengeance.

"I realize now that it may not have been the most responsible thing to do at the time, but I thought that she would be safer here with her family then on the run with me. I was willing to endure the heartache, mine and hers, if it meant keeping her safe. Her well-being was the only thing on my mind, sir, the only thing. I never, ever stopped loving her, and I never will.

"Ginny is the other half of my soul, Mr. Weasley, the only true happiness that I've ever found. She's forgiven me for my actions last year, she understands that I did what I thought I had to do to protect her, and I just wish that all of you could see that as well.

"This disagreement is tearing her apart inside – and it gets a little worse everyday. And, instead of this being the happiest time in her life, she is trying to hide her pain. I'm imploring you, for Ginny's sake and mine, to please try and forgive me and allow us to be happy together."

Harry stole a quick glance at Mr. Weasley, and saw that his face was contorted in concentration. Minutes passed as they continued their silent trek through the endless orchard trees.

Harry tried his best not to remember Ginny's ass up in the air when he was spanking her as he walked along with her father. But, despite his best efforts, a small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.

A few minutes later, Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and began, "Harry, I appreciate you coming forward again to try and explain about last year. I know that we've talked about this before, but you have no idea what you left behind when you took Ron and Hermione on your mission. Ginny became sullen, withdrawn, she cried endlessly, and not for her brother, I can tell you. Her tears were only for you.

"Since she was ten years old, she's been in love with you, Harry, since she met you at King's Cross your first day at Hogwarts. I've never seen her like she's been with you. She's drawn to you like a magnet, like she would float away if you weren't there to center her. She's so tough and independent until it comes to you. With you, it's like…like she needs you near her to be complete. It's so strange to see her like this.

"Her Mum and I understand why you did what you did last year, but it doesn't make what happened any easier to remember. She wouldn't eat, she couldn't sleep, she cried for hours, _hours_, Harry, never came out of her room, refused to see her friends. She couldn't function, Harry. There is no way in bloody hell that I will ever let my little girl go through that again for you or for anyone," Mr. Weasley concluded.

"Sir, there is no way that it would happen again. Ginny has already threatened me with death if I even thought about protecting her like that again, separating myself from her or lying to her in any way," Harry paused and smiled, and grinned.

"Now, that sounds like my little girl," he said, smiling again, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"I've promised her, and I promise you, too, sir, that I would lay down my life if it meant that she could be happy." Harry exhaled sharply. "The only way the two of us are going to be happy is if we're together. She's _my_ sun, too, Mr. Weasley. I truly love her, sir, with everything that I am. And you don't have to worry about her losing herself, losing her identity when she becomes my wife. Ginny is the most independent, headstrong, fiery woman that I know, and she doesn't hesitate to put me in my place when need be, trust me." Harry ducked his head and kept walking slowly at Mr. Weasley's side, silently begging him to understand, to forgive.

They turned and headed back towards the house, still silent, until Mr. Weasley suddenly stopped and faced Harry. He looked into Harry's face intently and finally nodded. "I can't promise anything right now, Harry, but Mrs. Weasley and I will discuss it."

"That's all I ask, thank you," Harry squeaked out, hugging the elder Weasley. Mr. Weasley nodded again, and the men returned to the Burrow talking of Quidditch and Auror training and even managed to laugh a couple of times together.

**Xxx**

"Thank you for trying again, Harry," Ginny said later that night as they lay under the stars by the lake.

"Nothing's changed yet," he said. "But, I couldn't stand to see you so sad anymore."

"Well, I'm not sad now," she said as he cast muffliato and disillusionment charms around them again. "I don't think that I've had the chance to fully worship your body yet."

"Well, if it'll make you happy, please don't let me stop you," Harry said, grinning, lying back on their blanket. She took his glasses off, pulled his t-shirt over his head, and kept his hands pinned over his head. "Keep your hands up there," she said softly. She unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down his thighs and tossed them to the side. She kissed his thighs and hips and then she sat up.

"God, Harry," Ginny breathed in deep. She straddled his hips, focusing on the muscles of his chest, his shoulders, his arms. Her eyes roamed over his muscles and Harry felt himself becoming hard under her gaze. "I can't believe you're mine. I get to touch you every single day. I get to lick your lips, suck on that spot you love behind your ear, feel the amazing muscles of your chest and arms, and…" she ground her hips against his groin, "feel your amazing cock inside of me."

Harry groaned and closed his eyes briefly. He looked back up into her eyes and licked his lips. Ginny bent down and kissed those moist lips, traced her tongue across them. She pulled his nipple into her mouth and tugged on it with her teeth and Harry exhaled sharply, stretching his body like a very contented cat, as Ginny's hands slid across his chest and stomach.

She leaned into him and whispered in his ear. "Harry you make me so wet…it's incredible…you don't even have to touch me, just thinking about you can make me come." She sat up again on his hips and stared into his deep green eyes.

"Do you touch yourself when we're not together?" Harry asked her.

"Yes," she replied, closing her eyes.

"Do you think of me when you do it?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, smiling at Harry, nodding.

"Show me," Harry said, his voice thick with need. "Show me how you touch yourself when you think of me…"

"Mmm…" Ginny moaned. "Harry...Wait! This was supposed to be about me worshipping you!"

"Later," Harry muttered, watching Ginny's hands. "You first." He placed his hands gently on Ginny's thighs.

Ginny smiled at him. She took the bottom hem of her shirt and brought it up and over her head, revealing her beautiful breasts to Harry. She swung her leg off of Harry's hips and removed her shorts and panties in one swift motion, and replaced her leg, straddling Harry once more.

"What do you do first?" Harry asked, his eyes focused on Ginny's hands as they roamed her body, her eyes never leaving his. "Talk to me…"

She smiled, enjoying this feeling of power, and loving the feeling of Harry's dick growing larger underneath her as she spoke. She ran her hands through her long hair and closed her eyes briefly, then she looked back at Harry.

"First, I rub my breasts, remembering how your tongue feels when you flick it over my nipples. They get so hard for you, Harry. You suck them into your mouth and then bite down on them…mmm," she fondled her breasts, squeezing them together, and rubbed her nipples between her fingers, tugging at them and then pinching them harder.

"Does that feel good?" he asked her. "Do you like them to be pulled hard like that?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking down at Harry once again.

"Then what?" he asked, watching her hands move lower.

"Then…" she said, "I remember how amazing your cock feels inside of me, when you thrust inside and move your hips around, hitting all the spots I love deep inside. I slip my fingers inside me and pretend that they're you, and I rub my clit until I scream your name."

"God," Harry said, his breathing becoming very shaky. "Please, show me…" He raised himself up onto his elbows so that he could see her fingers better. Seeing his cock pulsing beneath her fingers almost made Harry come right there. He bit his lip and watched her.

She trailed her fingers down to her core and dipped them deep inside, running her fingers over Harry's cock at the same time, eliciting a deep groan from him. She pumped her fingers in and out of her core again and again, bucking her hips up and down on top of Harry at the same time.

He could feel her fingers pumping in and out of her as they grazed his cock, and the feeling made him pulse under her hand. She spread herself with her fingers, encasing Harry's cock in the folds of her core, making his eyebrows furrow together. It took all of his willpower not to explode against Ginny right there. Harry tried to concentrate on her fingers circling her clit, and not on the warm, wetness sliding up and down his cock.

She slid her hips back and forth against Harry, loving the feel of his dick moving up and down her slick slit. Her juices coated him fully within seconds, and Harry moaned loudly as Ginny removed her fingers and leaned forward, her hands on Harry's chest, so that his cock could hit her clit as well. She moved her hips back and forth over him faster and faster, and neither of them could stop moaning from the sensations.

Harry took Ginny's hand from his chest and sucked her fingers deep into his mouth. She moaned as he traced his tongue over and around her fingers, lapping up every bit of moisture from her core. "Mmm," he moaned softly, closing his eyes. She traced her wet fingers down his chest and smiled as she sat up on his hips again.

Ginny reached down between them, and Harry followed her hand with his eyes. She took the base of his cock and guided his head toward her core.

"Fuck, Gin, yes…please…I need to be inside of you," he said, panting…watching.

Ginny lowered herself onto Harry's cock and she closed her eyes, both of them moaning loudly, her nipples instantly hard. Her head fell forward, her hair grazing over Harry's chest. He felt her breath against his chest and he groaned again.

"Yes, Harry…mmm…you feel so good…" she said, slowly pumping herself up and down, again and again, her breasts bouncing as Harry cradled them. "God, I wish you could know the way you feel inside of me…"

"Ginny…" Harry breathed deep; the feel of her sliding up and down on him was beyond bearing. Her core was so slick, fitting so tightly against his rigid skin, squeezing him with every movement. He felt like he could weep, he was so complete, so in love. At that moment, everything in Harry's life was perfect. Everything he would ever need was in his arms.

He saw her hand slide between them once again, but instead of circling her clit like he thought she was going to do, her fingers went lower, making a v and sliding on either side of Harry's cock as she rocked up and down. She was feeling his cock slide in and out of her, and she sat up straight, allowing herself to feel more of Harry's shaft as he thrust into her again and again.

"Fuck, Gin, oh my God…you have no idea how that feels…so fucking good," he breathed deep, his eyes never leaving her fingers in that deep v against her core, watching himself sink in and out of her.

"Harry…so thick inside of me…mmm…yeah," she said. "Love you…" She began thrusting faster on top of Harry, closing her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing deeply, her breathing becoming ragged. "Aaah, Harry!!"

"Yeah, Gin!!! I'm so close, come with me…" he screamed into the night…"Now, Gin, oh, God, now!"

"Yes!" she screamed, too, clenching her walls around Harry's cock, squeezing and contracting until he was nearly in tears. Ginny collapsed onto Harry's chest, his cock still inside of her. He made to roll onto his side, but she held him still.

"Please…don't go yet…just stay inside me a little longer. You feel so good there," she said quietly, recovering her breathing, as she listened to his heartbeat, her body pressed against his.

"I love you, Gin," Harry said. "I love you."

"Love you…Harry," she answered, her breathing evened out as he slipped out of her and she slipped into sleep.

Harry held her against his chest as she slept, brushing his fingers lightly over her back, thanking God silently for this miracle of her love. Her skin turned cooler as the light sheen of sweat evaporated from her skin and she shivered. He wiped the stray tear from his cheek and tilted his head to see Ginny's face – an ethereal smile on her lips.

"Gin, let's get inside, you're freezing," he whispered in her ear and kissed her hair. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"I hate to leave here, but, you're right, I'm freezing!" She laughed and got up, rapidly pulling her clothes on and watching Harry do the same.

"Such a shame to cover up that body," Ginny said circling her arms around Harry's waist as he chuckled.

"C'mon, you can worship me again tomorrow," he said, kissing the top of her head and Ginny erupted into loud laughter.

"No way, you had your chance! Tomorrow, you worship me!" She said, the light never fading from her eyes.

"Tomorrow and everyday for the rest of our lives," Harry answered seriously. "Can we tell your parents tomorrow about our wedding plans?"

"Yes, we'll tell them tomorrow. I can't believe in two weeks we'll be married, Harry." Ginny paused, "I'm so lucky."

Harry smiled, "I'm the lucky one, Gin," he whispered into her hair as they headed back to the Burrow.

Ginny walked him to the front of the house, just beyond the boundary of the Burrow property line. "I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. I love you."

"I love you, too, Ginny." Harry hugged her one last time, touched her cheek and then apparated home.

Ginny entered the Burrow and went to her room. Leaving her wand on her bedside table, she changed into pajamas and lay down, but sleep wouldn't come. She kept thinking of Harry. Thinking about how far they'd come in the last seven years, how much things had changed between them. He kept saying that he was the lucky one to have her, but in reality Ginny knew that it wasn't the case. She knew that she was the one that had drawn the ace in this relationship. Even if Harry didn't know it, he was phenomenal, _he_ was the unbelievable prize.

She tossed and turned for nearly an hour before getting up and heading upstairs to the attic. The house creaked and groaned, the clock in the hallway ticking loudly in the silent house as she made her way up the three flights to the top of the house. Her parents and Ron were sleeping, sunrise only hours away. She loved it up here in the attic among the relics of her family's early years. Baby clothes and broken toys lay scattered everywhere, as well as pictures and mementos of their lives.

Ginny took her regular seat by the circular window looking out over the orchards, and she rested her head against the cool windowpane. She closed her eyes and replayed many of the days that she and Harry had shared since May. Stolen moments and encounters by the lake and at Grimmauld Place where they could be uninhibited and free.

She prayed that her family would be happy about them getting married so soon. She was thrilled, and the thought never failed to bring a smile to her face and cause her heart to skip a beat. But, Ginny knew that even if they refused to give she and Harry their approval, she was going to marry him anyway. There would be no way that Ginny would allow _anyone_ to interfere with her future with Harry.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in the cool attic, with thoughts of Harry filling her mind.

If only Ginny had gazed out of the attic for a few more minutes, she may have been able to save herself and her family from what was coming.


	4. Chapter 4

**CP 4**

_When I'm alone, time goes so slow, I need you here with me. And how my mistakes have made your heart break - still, I need you here with me. Baby, I'm…baby, I'm here…_

_- Smother Me by The Used_

If only Ginny had gazed out of the attic for a few more minutes, she may have been able to save herself and her family from what was coming.

One solitary dark, shadowy figure made his way silently through the orchard toward the Burrow, his wand drawn and aimed at the lopsided structure. He made one circle around the house and came back to stand mere feet from the back porch, his hood secure over his head.

He murmured, "_Incendio_!" and a ball of flame flew from his wand onto the kindling of the back porch, the wood igniting instantly. He made his way to the left, pausing every few feet to throw another ball of fire into the building. He managed to ignite the entire bottom floor of the Burrow within thirty seconds, and he stood back briefly to watch his fiery creation and he grinned.

He watched closely as the flames shot out of the bottom floor windows and engulfed the house. He began aiming larger fire balls through the second floor windows then, slowly backing away from the structure as he did. He watched, gleeful as the flames grew higher and higher, licking the shutters and wooden siding of the house as they climbed.

Satisfied that no one would be able to walk away from the disaster, the figure fled back through the orchard and disapparated as he burst through the boundary line.

**Xxx**

Inside, Mrs. Weasley grimaced and wrinkled her nose as she threw the blanket from her body – suddenly warm. A choked cough finally woke her fully, but she didn't understand why she couldn't breathe. She poked her husband sleeping beside her.

"Arthur - something's wrong, wake up!" she said loudly, finally realizing the peril that they were in. "Wake up!" she screamed again. She got out of bed, grabbed her wand and came around to his side of the bed just as he was swinging his legs over the side.

"Okay, Molly, we're okay. Go to the window, see what outside looks like," he said calmly, seeing and smelling the smoke now.

"Arthur, there's flames everywhere! The house is on fire!" she screamed.

"Can you get out?"

"I think so," she answered.

"Go – I'll get the kids, Molly. Go!"

"No, I can't go without you, Arthur," she said, her eyes tearing from panic and the smoke coming in through their bedroom door.

"Please, Molly, go. We're wasting time, and I won't be able to concentrate if I know that you're still inside," he replied, opening the window for her. "Please, go, I'll be right there."

"I love you, Arthur, be careful."

He nodded and made his way towards their bedroom door, opening it slowly. Smoke billowed in through the opening. He used his wand to cast the bubble head charm on himself, and made his way quickly up the stairs to Ginny's room. He pushed the door open and found the room empty. He cursed her under his breath, but continued his way up the stairs to Ron's room. He found his son still sound asleep in bed, and Mr. Weasley woke Ron abruptly.

"Bloody hell, Dad, what are you doing?" Ron said, trying to turn over and sleep again.

"Ronald, get up this instant!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "The house is on fire, we have to get out now! Do you know where Ginny is?"

Ron got up from bed and grabbed his wand. "No, I don't know where she is." Mr. Weasley opened Ron's window and said,

"Your mother is outside, go to her and stay together!" Mr. Weasley heard Ron mumble "_Wingardium Leviosa_" as he ran out of Ron's room.

Mr. Weasley flew through the house looking everywhere for Ginny. He opened closets and cubby holes, she was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, no one but Harry knew about her spending time in the attic. Mr. Weasley never even thought to look there.

He flew downstairs where the fire was worst, and screamed her name at the top of his lungs. The smoke and soot were beginning to penetrate through his charm, and he began to choke and sputter, his breathing becoming very labored and his sight becoming seriously impaired. He could only see a foot in front of him now, and he was beginning to hear loud pops and creaks and the splintering of thick wooden beams all around him.

He was panicking. He knew that he only had seconds left to find Ginny before the house collapsed on top of itself, and he didn't know where she could be, he didn't know where else to look. He was praying that she had disobeyed him and was spending the night at Grimmauld Place with Harry. That she was safe.

He ran outside to find his wife and son pouring water from their wands into the house, but unable to contain the fire to even the slightest degree.

"Did Ginny come out? Is she with you?" Mr. Weasley screamed at his wife, and she went pale. The water streaming from her wand ceased and she flew to her husband.

"No, she's not here, what do you mean? You didn't find her? She's not inside?!!" Mrs. Weasley began to cry in earnest, and she screamed "Ginny!!" into the night as she fell to her knees.

**Xxx**

Inside, Ginny woke instantly, thinking that she heard her mother yell her name. She was groggy and rubbed her eyes. She tried to get up but her back was stiff from sleeping slumped over in this uncomfortable chair. She stood and stretched, making her way to the staircase.

**Xxx**

Outside, Mr. Weasley yelled for Ron to apparate to Grimmauld Place to see if Ginny was with Harry, and immediately went back to his wife, holding her back from running into the house after her daughter.

"We don't know she's in there, love. I looked everywhere and there wasn't a sign of her. She must be at Harry's with him, she's with Harry," Mr. Weasley told her, but she looked haggard with fear for Ginny, her baby.

**Xxx**

Ginny opened the door to the attic and was immediately overcome by thick, black smoke. She choked and fell to the floor, trying anything to get a clean burst of air into her lungs. Her eyes watered and tears began to stream down her face, she couldn't see and she couldn't breathe.

She crawled as best she could down the staircase, and had nearly made it to the landing of the next floor when she heard a loud crack underneath her. Instantly, she was falling through the dark, thick smoke. She didn't even have enough air in her lungs to scream.

**Xxx**

Ron apparated to the park across from Grimmauld Place, and immediately banged on Harry's door. Kreacher appeared moments later and opened the door for Ron, who blazed up the stairs screaming for Harry and Ginny.

From his bedroom, Harry was startled awake by Ron's screams and his heavy footsteps on the stairs. By the time Ron reached Harry's bedroom, Harry was out of bed and flinging open his door.

"Ron!! What is it? What happened?" Harry screamed.

"Ginny, Harry. Is Ginny here with you?" Ron said loudly, his eyes wild.

"No, of course not. I left her at the Burrow around one o'clock. Ron, what's happened?? Tell me!" Harry screamed, crazed.

"There's been a fire, Harry. At the Burrow – Dad couldn't find Ginny anywhere. We were kind of hoping she was safe here with you."

Ron hadn't even finished before Harry was dressed and had grabbed his wand. "Let's go," Harry ordered, and the friends disapparated back to the Burrow.

The sight that met Harry's eyes was unbelievable. The Burrow, the place that he loved, his second home was engulfed in flames. He had arrived just in time to see the roof collapse upon itself and come crashing down.

"No!!" Harry screamed as he reached the elder Weasley's. "Ginny?' he asked, looking frantically from one to the other – Mr. Weasley just shook his head.

"If she can't sleep, she sits in the attic looking out the window. Did you look in the attic?" Harry yelled.

Mr. Weasley shook his head, confused, "I…I didn't know…I didn't know."

"Come on…help me!!" Harry screamed and rushed to the smoldering rubble. "We have to find her. _Lumos maxima_!" He screamed. "Ron, keep pouring water onto the flames, I have to get in there."

Harry barreled into the charred mess and began blasting half-burned boards and bricks out of his way, tossing furniture and anything that got in his way, praying all the time that he would find her, that she was alive. He ignored the searing pain in his lungs as he gasped for air. He cast "_impervious_" on his glasses, and it helped him see a little.

"Ginny!!" he screamed again and again, "Ginny!!" He was frantic, looking everywhere at once. "Please, God, please, don't take her from me now….Ginny!!"

She heard his voice screaming her name, but she couldn't move, couldn't even groan. _Harry_…

Ginny was pinned beneath something heavy – she couldn't budge it. She didn't even have her wand. She tried to wiggle her fingers, the only part of her body that seemed to be free, her breath was coming in shallow gasps.

_Harry…I love you_, she thought - the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

Harry shone his light into what was left of the living room, and was tossing furniture and lamps out of his way, pouring water on flames that were licking at his feet and legs. He waved his wand around again, terrified that any minute the rest of the house was going to come tumbling down on his head. "Ginny!!!" Something red reflected in the light from his wand and he approached it carefully, trying not to get his hopes up.

He bent down, levitated the armoire and tossed it to the side, closing his eyes and gasping as he looked at what was underneath.

Ginny lie there – she was broken. The only thing recognizable about her was her long, beautiful red hair. She lie face down in the rubble, her legs were thrown out at odd angles and her arms were black. He turned her over gently and gasped again.

Her face was red from the blood running everywhere.

All he could see was blood. Copious amounts of blood dripped from every pore of her body, down her face, through her hair. Her pajama top was soaked through, and her pants were bright red from the blood. Harry choked, whether it was from the thick smoke or the sight of her he didn't know. Tears ran down his face. He levitated her body and practically ran with it out to the backyard where he laid Ginny down gently.

He fell to his knees beside her and just looked at her. Harry heard Mrs. Weasley's blood-curdling scream as she ran towards them, and he cringed. Mr. Weasley and Ron were there in an instant and no one could say a word. They just stared at what was left of their Ginny.

"Is she still alive?" Ron asked in a small voice.

"Dunno," Harry replied, afraid of checking, he didn't want to know the answer. "We have to get her to St. Mungo's right now. Ron, help me," Harry said as he placed both of his hands under Ginny's body. Ron did the same and they apparated with her directly into St. Mungo's emergency room.

Ginny was taken from them by numerous Healers and aides, and left Harry and the Weasley's in the waiting area.

"Someone please tell me what happened…" Harry said softly as he paced back and forth, agitated.

"I don't really know, Harry," Mr. Weasley began. "Molly woke me up, and there was already smoke pouring into our room. She got out through the window, and I went to get Ginny and Ron. Ginny wasn't in her room, so I went up the stairs and woke Ron. He went out his window, and I went back downstairs to try and find Ginny, but all the time I was hoping that she had disobeyed me and was with you, safe at Grimmauld Place.

"She wasn't anywhere. I checked every bedroom, every closet. I yelled her named until the smoke broke through my bubble-head charm and started choking me. I looked everywhere downstairs, I couldn't find her. I didn't know about her spending time in the attic…I didn't know," Mr. Weasley finished and put his head down as Mrs. Weasley stroked his back.

"You couldn't have known, Arthur," she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She absentmindedly cast "_scourgify_" at the men and cleaned the blood from their clothes as best she could.

"Who would have done this?" Ron asked, to no one in particular.

"My bet would be a death eater," Harry seethed, hate coursing through his body. His eyes were alight with fire. "And, I would guess that they were out to hurt me by hurting all of you, and especially Ginny."

"Harry, we don't know that. It could have been a simple accident," Mrs. Weasley said, but Harry was already shaking his head at her.

"I don't think so, Mrs. Weasley," he turned to Mr. Weasley then, unable to contain his anger. "Do you see why I had to leave her last year? Do you see why I couldn't let her stay with me? Look what happened when I finally let my guard down, when I finally thought I could actually have a life of my own!"

Harry collapsed into the chair by Ron, put his head into his hands and wept. Ron rubbed Harry's shoulder and handed him a tissue, but he let Harry cry, not knowing how to console him.

"S'alright, Harry. We'll find out who did this," Ron said softly.

"They tried to kill her, Ron. They tried to kill her because of me," Harry kept repeating. "She's the only reason I have for living, Ron. If she dies…"

"She won't," Ron said confidently. "C'mon, Ginny is the most stubborn person I know. She'll come through this, I know she will."

Harry tried to smile at Ron but it came through as more of a grimace. Harry appreciated Ron's efforts, but Harry didn't deserve to be comforted. _He_ was to blame for this.

It was hours before they got any news of Ginny's condition. "She's alive," were the first words that they heard, and Mrs. Weasley started to cry silently.

"Ginny's been through a great deal of trauma tonight, and her body has shut itself down. She is in a coma, so the next few days are going to be critical. Usually, a body knows what it needs, and right now Ginny's needs to mend itself from the inside, so it has shut itself down so that it can do just that. We will monitor her very carefully over the next forty-eight hours. Please follow me and you can sit with her for a couple of minutes before you go."

The family got up silently and followed the Healer into Ginny's room on the second floor. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight of their beloved Ginny. She was covered in bandages from nearly head to toe, with oxygen tubes stuck under her nose, and huge machines hooked up to her monitoring her heart.

A sob escaped Mrs. Weasley's lips as she sat down heavily in a chair near Ginny's bed and took her hand, touching it lightly. She kept repeating, "my baby…my baby" as she rocked back and forth in the chair.

The Healer continued, "Ginny has extensive internal injuries. She had four broken ribs, her lung had collapsed, broke both of her legs and arms. There was damage to her face as well. We think when she fell, she landed face down into shards of glass. And, of course, there were extensive burns to her body. We've healed the broken bones, and her lung, and we've applied a salve to her burns, but I am afraid even with all of our advances, there will be scarring. There's no way to tell how bad it will be for a few days. Until then, we will wait until she wakes up. Please only stay for a few minutes, Ginny needs her rest and you'll be able to come back tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving," Harry said softly.

"I'm sorry but it's hospital policy, no one can stay overnight but the patients," the Healer replied.

"I don't care about your policy," Harry said to her calmly, "I'm not leaving," he repeated.

"Umm…perhaps I can see you outside for a moment?" Mr. Weasley asked the Healer, escorting her out the door.

"Harry, you should really go home, there's nothing that you can do here," Ron said.

"I'm not leaving her alone, Ron. Whoever did this to her may come back to finish the job. I won't let that happen. Take your parents back to my house, Kreacher will take care of you. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow."

Ron nodded, and brought his Mum to her feet, and she reluctantly turned away from her daughter. "You'll send for us if anything…" she couldn't bear to finish that thought.

"Of course," Harry replied. "And, Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry that you're all suffering again because of me."

Mrs. Weasley brought Harry into her arms, "Harry, don't be silly, none of this is your fault. We love you – you saved her life again, and again we are in your debt. You keep our Ginny safe now, alright?"

He nodded into her shoulder, and she kissed his forehead and left the room with Ron.

Harry exhaled and turned back to Ginny, truly seeing her for the first time. He approached her bedside slowly, unable to fully comprehend what had happened. He sat in the chair opposite the door, his back to the wall with his wand in his hand, and looked down at his beautiful fiancé.

He gently took her bandaged hand in his, bent down and kissed it, and then put his head down on her hand. Was it possible that it was only hours ago that he held her in his arms after loving her under the stars? Seeing her lying here was incomprehensible.

"Your Mum's wrong, Gin - they're not in my debt. There wouldn't be a need for any of you to suffer if I never came into your lives. It's because of me that you were ever in danger to begin with, and nothing your Mum says will change that._ I_ did this to you – I may as well have lit the match…"

Harry never left Ginny's side that night, When they needed to change her bandages, he stayed - when they drew blood from her, he stayed.

He cringed when they removed the bandages from her skin and he saw the extent of the burn damage. Her skin had actually been charred in places, fucking _charred_ - and Harry wept for her – for the pain she must be in – pain that she had to endure because of him.

Why? Why now? Why would the death eaters choose to strike the Weasley's now? The Weasley's and Harry had been alone all summer, and _now_ the death eaters chose to exact their revenge? Why?

Xxx

It was mid-morning when the Weasley's made their way back to the hospital. Mrs. Weasley had spent the morning sending owls to her children letting them know what had happened, and letting them know that they were staying at Harry's.

By the time they returned, Harry had made some decisions about his future. First, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Ginny was going to be okay and second, he was going to find the person that did this to her and make him pay dearly for destroying his life.


	5. Chapter 5

**CP 5**

_I found my place in the world, could stare at your face for the rest of my days. Now, I can breathe, turn my insides out and smother me. Warm and alive, I'm all over you, would you smother me?_

_- Smother Me by The Used_

Harry knew now that there was no point in distancing himself from Ginny or the Weasley's. He had become a much too selfish man to be separated from them any longer, and he wasn't about to go back on his promise to Ginny. He would never leave her again. His whole life was wrapped up in this family, and until they asked him to leave, he was staying right here among the people that he loved. He wasn't going to let some deranged death eater dictate his life.

Ginny never moved, never moaned, never grimaced. Harry talked to her incessantly, trying everything that he could think of to make her wake up. The bandages had been removed from her skin after two days, all of her external cuts and gashes had healed by then.

The burns and scarring damage were quite extensive, and Harry continually cringed when her charred skin was exposed. He couldn't imagine her pain.

Harry took over the job of applying the healing salve to Ginny's skin. He was shown how to do it properly, and he took care to be as gentle as possible. Three times a day, it was Harry's job to wash her skin and reapply the salve to the burn scars that covered nearly every inch of her body. And, all the while he talked to her.

"Baby, can you hear me?" he would ask. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here until you wake up. I know – you've been through a lot and you must be so tired, love, so you just rest. When you're ready, open your eyes, and I'll be right here…waiting."

Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley scarcely left Ginny's side, and Harry – never. The Healers hadn't given Harry a hard time about staying with Ginny after that first night, and Harry figured that whatever Mr. Weasley had said to them had worked.

Harry was tireless in his devotion to Ginny. He washed her body, he brushed her hair, anything he could do to care for her, he did. He talked endlessly to her Healers, trying to determine if he could be doing anything more for her, anything that would help wake her up sooner.

**Xxx**

Kingsley came to visit one day, and Harry was surprised to see the formidable Minister walk in to Ginny's hospital room. Harry was happy to see him, he had wanted to speak with Kingsley since the attack, but unwilling to leave Ginny's side.

Mrs. Weasley was also there, as she often was, and Harry took Kingsley into the hallway. "Sir, is there any leads as to who may have done this?" Harry asked without preamble.

"None yet, Harry. Nobody is talking. We're using everything at our disposal, but so far, no luck. I'm sorry, I know this must be driving you mad."

"You have no idea, sir," Harry replied, looking at the floor. "Please, you have to let me help. Once Ginny wakes up, I need to be involved with finding whoever did this to them."

Kingsley looked skeptical. "Harry, I really think that you should leave this to us. The Aurors in our department are the best fighters of the dark arts out there. If any piece of evidence can be found, they will find it."

Harry scowled and turned without another word to Kingsley, returning to Ginny's side. Harry now knew that once Ginny was awake, he would be on his own in finding her attacker.

**Xxx**

Harry was sitting in his regular chair, holding Ginny's hand, his head resting on her knuckles, ten days after the attack on the Burrow. He was absentmindedly talking to Ginny, his throat raw from his incessant speaking. He tried it all: telling her jokes, reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts, Quidditch games and he even tried talking dirty to her, but nothing seemed to be working. Nothing he did was making a difference.

The alarm on his wristwatch told Harry that it was time for new salve for Ginny. He rose from his chair and went to the washroom to fill the basin with warm water, and he looked up into the mirror. He did a double-take, not realizing that it was his own reflection that he was seeing. It had been ten days since Harry had been home. Ten days since he'd had a proper shower or shaved.

Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley had brought his a toothbrush and a bar of soap, so he was able to keep his teeth clean and wash up, but that's as far as his hygiene had gone. The beard on his face was growing in fast, and he could use a haircut. He scoffed at himself. Harry was beyond caring about his physical appearance, all of his focus was on Ginny.

He returned to Ginny's bedside and began washing her face. Most of the blackened skin on her body had been healed, and what was left was so raw looking - very pink skin that looked incredibly fragile. He brought the soft, moist cloth to her face and began wiping away the layer of lotion that he had applied a few hours ago. He was gentle. He held back her hair and wiped in small, gentle strokes down her cheeks and across her forehead.

Without thinking, he traced the long, deep scar that trailed from her forehead, through her right eyebrow down her cheek, ending about an inch above her jaw line. Thankfully, once the blood had been washed from her face, this scar was the worst that had happened to her face. Her eyes had been spared any damage, and the remaining cuts and scrapes had been healed.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to the deep, red line on her cheek, and a tear escaped his eye, falling there. He shook his head and wiped the fallen tear, not allowing himself to wallow once again in what his relationship with Ginny had cost her.

He finished with her face and lifted her right arm, and cleaned it with the warm water. He turned it over gently, and wiped at the soft underside of her arm, still firm and taut even with non-use. Harry took Ginny's hand in his and wiped at her fingers, one by one. He turned to dip the cloth in the water once again, and his head whipped back around and he stared at Ginny's fingers. He could have sworn that he saw one move on its own – twitch.

He stared for another minute, willing those beautiful fingers to move, but they remained still. Disappointment unlike anything he had ever felt overtook his body, and it was only his strong will that kept him from collapsing.

Harry dipped the cloth and wrung it out determined to continue with his ministrations. He lifted her shirt up to her chest, and began cleaning the lotion from her stomach. He drew the cloth down her belly again and again, and he heard her exhale and softly groan.

His eyes were immediately on her face, it was the first sound that he had heard her make in ten days.

He pulled her shirt down and sat closer to her head and leaned down.

"Gin?" he said softly, choking up a little. "Ginny, please…open your eyes for me."

She didn't move.

"Ginny…come one now, it's time to open your eyes. Ginny?" he tried again.

She exhaled again, a little louder this time.

"That's it, love, come on back…come back, Gin," he said right into her ear. "I love you, Ginny, please open your eyes."

"Mmm…" she replied and Harry's heart constricted in his chest. Her head rolled to the right, closer to Harry's voice.

"Yes! Ginny, please baby, come on back. I've missed you so much. Open your eyes…" Harry said.

"H…Harry…" she whispered and he got goose bumps everywhere, tears flooding his eyes.

"I'm right here, love, right here. Open your eyes and look at me," he whispered.

"Mmm…Harry," she said again and her eyes fluttered. Harry caught a glimpse of beautiful chocolate brown before they were gone again. "Ow," she said softly.

"I know, love. I know it hurts, I'm sorry," he replied. She opened her eyes again, fluttering them slightly, but keeping them open for longer periods now.

"What…happened?" she asked, breathlessly.

"There was a fire at the Burrow. Everyone's fine, they all got out safely. Unfortunately, you weren't so lucky," Harry said. "We think that you were in the attic, and trying to come downstairs when the stairs gave out underneath you and you fell, Gin. You were burned pretty badly, but you skin is healing. You're going to be okay, it's just going to take a little time."

"Yeah," she said. "I remember. I couldn't breathe, the smoke…so thick. Couldn't see…" she talked slowly, stopping to catch her breath often.

"I know, Gin," Harry said.

"It…hurts…Harry."

"I'm so sorry. I'm going to get a Healer for you, then I'll finish putting on your cream. I'll be back in a second."

Ginny closed her eyes, exhausted, as Harry exited.

**Xxx**

"She's doing very well, we're very encouraged," Ginny's Healer said after examining her. "She recognizes you and her memory seems to be fully intact, all signs that she will make a full recovery."

Harry sent an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley at Grimmauld Place to let them know that Ginny had woken up, and they had arrived before the Healer was finished testing Ginny. Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry hard in the hallway, as Mr. Weasley entered Ginny's room.

"Harry, thank you," Mrs. Weasley whispered.

"There's nothing to thank me for, Mrs. Weasley. I didn't do anything," he said, feeling uncomfortable.

She was shaking her head before he even finished. "No, Harry, I'm not going to let you do that. _You_ were the one who stayed, Harry, you saved her." She looked down at her shoes, unsure how to say what needed to be said.

"Harry, I'm sorry," she continued. "I was wrong, so wrong about you. I was stubborn and pig-headed about you and Ginny seeing each other again. I was worried about her, but I was wrong. I've seen the pain you've been in for the past ten days, Harry, and can only imagine what being separated from her last year did to you. I can see now how devoted you are to her, and I can't ask for anything more for any of my children. You have our blessing, Harry, for what it's worth. And, I'm sorry."

Harry hugged Mrs. Weasley. He nodded into her shoulder and held her tight.

"I love her," he said simply.

"I know," Mrs. Weasley replied and wiped her eyes, removing herself from his arms. "Let's go see how she's doing…"


	6. Chapter 6

**CP 6**

_Now, I can breathe, turn my insides out and smother me. Warm and alive, I'm all over you, would you smother me? Smother me? Smother me?_

_- Smother Me by The Used_

It had been twenty-four hours since Ginny opened her eyes. She was still very groggy and was in a fair amount of pain, but she seemed to be handling it well. And now that she was awake and they could gauge her responsiveness, the Healers had begun a more aggressive form of treatment for her burns.

Harry sat holding Ginny's hand as usual, while she slept fitfully. Mrs. Weasley gazed at him and offered him a small smile. He returned it, and then ran his hand through his unruly hair. Ginny stirred again, this time opening her eyes and looking desperately to her right, finding Harry right where he always was.

"Harry," she said, relaxing a bit. "I had a dream that I was looking everywhere for you, and couldn't find you. I was screaming your name but you didn't hear me."

"I'm right here, I'm always going to be right here, Gin." He held her as gently as he could and kissed the top of her hair.

She tried to sit up a little, and Harry helped her as best as he could. She winced from the pain of her fragile skin. She glanced down at her arms and legs and grimaced again. "How long do the Healers expect my skin to look like this?"

"They're not sure, but they're doing everything they can to make it heal as quickly as possible." Harry's eyes flicked to her face again and looked away. Ginny, seeing this, brought her fingers to her face hesitantly, and touched it gently.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" she asked, then she found it. She felt the deep ridge in her skin and she visibly flinched. She swallowed hard, and then said, "Harry, please get me a mirror."

"Ginny," her Mum began, "I don't think that this is the best time for that."

"I need to know, Mum," Ginny said, her eyes never leaving Harry's. "Please, Harry?"

Harry rose slowly from his chair and went into the bathroom, retrieving a hand mirror. He closed his eyes and braced himself against the sink, willing himself to be strong enough for this.

He brought the mirror to Ginny, and handed it to her, returning to his seat. She took it from him and hesitated a moment.

"Is it really bad?" she asked Harry. He shook his head.

"No, not to me. You're alive and that's the important thing."

Ginny brought the mirror to her face and looked at the angry red scar traveling down her face. She had never seen anything so grotesque. She brought her finger up and traced the long scar from her forehead to her jaw. Tears formed in her eyes, and she looked at Harry.

"Now, we both have scars," she said and let out a sad kind of chuckle. The tears spilled over then, and Harry sat on her bed and cradled her gently in his arms. He smoothed her hair and kissed her cheek as she cried.

"Gin, it's going to be okay. You are so beautiful, and you're here with me," Harry said, trying to soothe her but she shook her head. She continued to cry on and off about her scar for the next two days.

**XXX**

"Mrs. Weasley, would you stay with Ginny for a while? I need to run a few errands," Harry asked as he got up from his chair.

"Of course, Harry, I'm not going anywhere," she replied.

Ginny turned her head towards Harry, reaching out her hand. "Where are you going?" she asked slowly, her lungs still not back to full capacity.

Harry took her hand, leaned over her and kissed Ginny's lips. "It's time for your nap, love, so sleep, and I'll be back before you wake up."

"Don't go," she whispered. She looked into his eyes, pleading.

"I'll be right back, I promise," he replied, extricating his hands from hers. "Less then an hour…"

"Harry…" Ginny began, but he had already gone.

**XXX**

Harry apparated directly to the boundary of the Burrow, determined to find what everyone else had missed. He walked up the narrow lane and turned the corner, his breath catching when he took in the sight before him. The Burrow lay in ruins.

Harry couldn't believe that anyone had managed to survive this disaster – the house looked like it had imploded upon itself, and was now its floors were stacked one on top of another like pancakes. He could still see and smell glowing embers, and he could barely make out the remnants of the loveseat that once sat on the back porch. It was charred and scorched, and Harry had to stand back a moment to take it all in.

He remembered everything - the countless hours that he had spent in this house, laughing and eating, hanging out with everyone, feeling like he was a part of a real family at last.

And, with a flick of a wand, it had all been taken away.

Harry battled with two emotions - sorrow and anger - and he didn't know which one was winning.

He walked slowly around the rubble, trying to focus on his task at hand – finding any shred of evidence that may give him a clue as to who had done this. He was fairly certain that the perpetrator hadn't entered the house – he was sure that the charms Mr. Weasley had set in place would have alerted the inhabitants to his presence.

That left Harry with the outdoors. He walked slowly, methodically searching for anything that seemed out of place. He circled the once beautiful home time and again, radiating outward with each pass three feet at a time, his eyes sweeping the ground relentlessly. On his sixth trip around the house, while walking through the overgrown grass, he came across a coin.

At first he picked it up and twirled it in his palm, nearly discarding it. But a glint on the coin's side caught his attention and he looked closer – he recognized this coin – he had one himself at 12 Grimmauld.

It was the coin that Hermione had charmed in their fifth year for the members of Dumbledore's Army - the coins that told the members the day and time the next meeting would take place. He put the coin in his pocket, wondering whether it was Ginny or Ron's.

After twelve more passes, now nearly twenty yards from the house, Harry had to admit defeat. He had found nothing. There had been too many people that visited the Burrow since the fire to make Harry's job easy. There were loads of unfamiliar footprints surrounding the house, but Harry was unable to distinguish between the arsonist and the Aurors.

He stood before the house, staring at the burnt remains and he shook his head, unable to believe that someone could turn something that he loved so deeply into something so ugly. He felt violated, vulnerable, and he didn't like the feeling.

He had to find whoever did this to the family that he loved. And he swore to himself he would.

**XXX**

Harry returned to Ginny in the hospital, and as predicted, she was still asleep. Mrs. Weasley looked up as Harry entered and smiled at him – he looked like he had aged ten years since he had left the room an hour ago.

"Harry, are you alright?" she inquired. He nodded his head and sat down in the empty chair opposite her and took Ginny's hand.

"Any change?" he asked and she shook her head.

"She's been sleeping for about a half hour now," Mrs. Weasley replied. Again, Harry nodded his head and laid it back against the wall, closing his eyes. He needed to come up with a plan.

He thought about nothing else for the next hour, keeping his eyes closed, focusing on what needed to be done. He thought of and discarded ideas systematically, trying to remember what Dumbledore, Lupin and Mad-Eye had taught him. Who? Why? What could they hope to gain by it? Where to start trying to find the culprit?

This situation was so different then any Harry had ever faced. Since he could remember, Harry had always _known_ who his enemy was. Voldemort had been front and center in his life since he was eleven. But, how could Harry fight someone when he didn't even know who it was?

Harry went over everything he had surmised in his head. This wasn't some random attack by an unknown attacker. This had been a deliberate attack on the Weasley's, and what's worse, it had been done by someone that they knew.

He had come to this conclusion on his eighteenth pass around the Burrow, when he came across the property's apparition boundary, the place where Ginny always walked Harry to when he was going home. Harry realized that no one could have entered the property that hadn't been there before. The Burrow was unplottable, and no one would know where to find it, unless they had been told where it was by a Weasley.

One thing was clear, Harry was going to need help.


	7. Chapter 7

**CP 7**

Harry closed the door to Ginny's room, locked it and cast "muffliato" then turned to his friends. He found Hermione, Ron and Ginny staring at him like he had gone crazy.

"I need to talk to you," he started and sat down, taking Ginny's hand again.

"What's going on, Harry," Hermione asked.

"I need help going through the ideas I have about who started the fire, and I always think better when the four of us bring our heads together."

"Okay, mate, where should we start?" Ron asked, sitting down next to Hermione.

Harry looked uncomfortable and he fidgeted in his chair. They weren't going to like this bit of news. "I think the person who started the fire is someone we know…"

"Harry! How can you say that? No one we know would ever…!" Hermione started.

Harry held up his hand to stop her. "Think about it, Hermione. The Burrow is unplottable and protected by all kinds of charms, which means that only a witch or wizard that had been there before could know where to find it, someone that had been told it's location by a Weasley, someone who knows them fairly well. They must have apparated outside the boundary and then were able to walk right in."

Hermione scowled, but it made sense to her.

"Still," Ron said. "That could be a whole lot of people, Harry. People from the Ministry are in and out all the time…and with seven kids, there were always friends coming and going…and there were over a hundred people at the Burrow last year alone for Bill's wedding."

Harry hadn't thought of that – it sounded like an impossible task. "Okay, let's say for argument's sake that it was one of the wedding guests. Do you think your Mum still has a list of people that were there?" he asked Ron.

"Dunno, but I could look around for it." Harry nodded his head, then he looked at Ginny who hadn't said a word yet.

"What do you think, Gin?"

"I dunno, Harry," she said dully. She still hadn't snapped back to her normal self since she looked in the mirror. Nothing Harry said to her could convince her that he still found her to be beautiful.

"I don't understand the timing," Harry continued, turning back to Hermione and Ron. "Why attack now? We were alone at the Burrow all summer long. Is there any significance to the timing? The date?"

"Not that I can think of," Hermione said after a moment.

"No idea," added Ron. "August…end of summer…Ginny's birthday…nearing a new year at Hogwarts…?"

"Ginny's birthday maybe, but I don't think the rest has anything to do with it. If it was a deliberate attack on Ginny, then her birthday may have been significant. But, even that was two weeks before the attack. I know there's something we're missing here…it just doesn't make sense that it was quiet all summer and now this," Harry finished, looking at the three of them. He ran his hands through his hair and sat back in his chair. The minutes passed as the foursome thought about possible answers. Then,

"There was something else," Ginny said softly, and everyone snapped their heads to look at her.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Harry and I had just filed for a marriage license at the Ministry the day before the attack. That could be important."

She looked at Harry then and her eyes filled with tears. He tightened his grip on her hand and looked down at their entwined fingers.

Harry looked up at his friends and explained. "Ginny and I were going to be married three days ago."

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said, rising from her chair and giving her best friend a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Ginny returned her hug half-heartedly. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about _that_ now…" she said with a sad chuckle.

"What do you mean by that?!" Harry snapped.

"Nothing, Harry," Ginny replied solemnly. Harry shook his head at her, but tried to focus on the problem at hand.

"Well, let's end this for now. Ron, could you look around for that guest list from the wedding? At least that will be a starting point," Harry said.

Ron nodded and rose from his chair. He and Hermione left a few minutes later and Harry returned to Ginny's side.

"Do you want to talk about what just happened?" Harry asked, still annoyed.

"You think it's someone we know…" Ginny began, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"That's not what I meant, Gin. What did you mean by 'I guess I don't have to worry about that now.'"

Ginny looked down at her hands, the skin there had begun to return to her normal color and texture, thankfully. Finally, after a minute, she looked at Harry with excruciatingly sad eyes.

"Harry, come on, let's be honest, okay? Look at me, look at my face…" she started.

Harry looked pained. "Are you actually suggesting that because you have a scar on your face that I'm not going to love you anymore? Please tell me that's not it, Gin…" he said, shaking his head.

She didn't answer, but continued to stare down at her hands.

Harry, infuriated, rose from his chair and crossed to the window. "Did this scar stop you from loving me?" he asked loudly, pulling his hair from his forehead so that she could see the lightning bolt.

"Harry, it's hardly the same thing…"

"No, it's exactly the same thing, Gin. Neither one of us asked for these. But, unfortunately, your scar will always remind you of what having me in your life did to you. You _have_ that scar because I love you."

Ginny scoffed at him. "How do you work that one out?" she asked heatedly, fire burning in her eyes for the first time.

"Think about it. If we had never met, if I had never approached your Mum in King's Cross that first day, you wouldn't be here. You would be safe and happy and in love with someone who isn't dangerous for you to be with."

"Wow, you really are the king of self-loathing aren't you? You're assuming that the Burrow was attacked because of you. You do realize how completely ridiculous that sounds, don't you?"

"It's true," Harry said sadly, shaking his head again. "Anyway, if you still want to be with me knowing that you will be in danger, probably for the rest of your life, then I'm here as long as you want me."

Harry crossed the room and sat on the edge of Ginny's bed, taking her hand. "Ginny, nothing and no one could ever change the way I feel about you. I love you, all of you, everything about you – the same way that you take all of the baggage that comes with loving me."

She turned her face away. "Harry, I don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me now. I'll understand, truly, if you don't. I won't think any less of you or anything – I swear. I love you enough to let you go, if that's what you want."

Harry took a minute to calm himself down, letting his anger dissipate, before responding. He took a couple of deep breaths and raised his hand to Ginny's face, turning it so that she looked at him. "Please stop trying to be all self-sacrificing. Now you're sounding like me at Dumbledore's funeral. You didn't let me get away with it then, and I'm not letting you get away with it now."

Ginny couldn't help it – she smiled a little. She leaned forward, rested her forehead on Harry's chest and exhaled deeply. He drew her to him gently, holding her properly for the first time in over two weeks. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head over and over again. He pulled her away from him a little so that he could look in her eyes.

"Ginny Weasley, I love you with all of my heart. It's always been you and it will always be you." He stroked his finger along her scar and she cringed, but he wouldn't let her turn away. "You're amazing and stubborn and wonderful and so incredibly beautiful." Harry leaned in and peppered kisses along her scar, right down to her jaw. "I can't be without you, Gin. Please say that you'll still marry me when all of this is over?"

Ginny's face contorted and tears fell in steady droplets from her eyes. She nodded.

"Please say it," Harry requested softly.

"Yes, Harry, I'll marry you. I'd marry you today if you'd let me." She looked up into the eyes that she adored.

He smiled, the first genuine smile that graced his face in quite some time. "Don't tempt me, love. I may ask Kingsley visit us tomorrow and do the honors."

"I wouldn't mind…" she said, resting against him once again, exhausted. "Please stay with me, Harry."

"I'm not going anywhere…" Harry laid Ginny back down against her pillows, and he lay next to her, keeping her in his arms throughout the night.


	8. Chapter 8

**CP 8**

Harry unrolled the three sheets of parchment for the hundredth time since Ron had given them to him two days ago. He ran over the list of wedding guests again, hoping to come across a name that would set off warning bells for him, anything that would give him pause. Again, he found nothing.

Mrs. Weasley had cleverly divided up the list into three categories – the Weasley family and relatives, the Delacour family and relatives and a category for friends. Ron and Ginny had poured over their family and relatives listing and found nothing peculiar. They had remembered everyone on the list coming to the wedding, and didn't remember anything odd in their behavior.

Harry had sent a copy to Bill and Fleur, with the same results. Harry focused his attentions on the listing of friends in attendance and put a star next to only one name, but, again, he knew that it made no sense.

Ron and Hermione entered the room at that moment and found Harry with the parchments again and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Harry, I really think that you're wrong about this," Hermione said. "I don't see why anyone who was a guest at the wedding would want to hurt the Weasley's."

"Well, it's either start here, Hermione, or you can make a list with Ron of everyone who has ever visited the Burrow and check them out one by one," Harry finished sarcastically.

"Enough you two," Ron interjected. "I'm tired of your bickering. You're giving me a headache."

Ginny smiled and looked over at the parchments. "Harry, what's that star?"

"Krum," he said. "He's the only one that was there that no one really knows well."

"But, it doesn't really fit, does it?" asked Hermione. "Why would he have a grudge against the Weasley's?"

"Dunno," Harry replied, defeated. "I knew it didn't make sense when I marked it, but it was all I could find that was unusual."

"Read off some of the names, Harry. Maybe a name will help one of us remember something," Ginny suggested.

"Alright," Harry said, and everyone sat back. "Tonks, Hagrid, Neville, Lupin…"

"Nothing unusual there," Ron said.

"Then, there's Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Luna and Hermione…"

"That's it! It was Hermione! I knew it!" Ron joked, and even Harry had to smile.

Harry put the parchments down and rubbed his weary eyes. "Look, I know it's a long shot, but it's all we've got to go on right now." He looked pleadingly at his friends. "I refuse to give up. I _will_ find out who did this."

They all nodded, they understood.

"Nothing at all from the Ministry? No leads?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Harry shook his head slowly. "No. Kingsley sent an owl yesterday, but there wasn't anything new," Harry replied. "It seems the bloke who did this left no clues and then vanished into thin air."

**XXX**

Three days later, Ginny was released from St. Mungo's and was brought to Grimmauld Place with Harry and her family. Harry had Kreacher make up the bedroom on the ground floor for her, so that the numerous staircases wouldn't be an obstacle. Ginny was still not back to her full strength yet, and Harry wanted to make her recovery as swift and painless as possible.

Harry had arranged for a private Healer to come to Grimmauld Place daily to administer Ginny's rehabilitation. He didn't want her leaving the safety of his house until she was completely healed and had her strength back. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley agreed with Harry. Actually, they had been much nicer to Harry since the fire then they had since May, when he and Ginny had gotten back together.

**XXX**

The night before Ginny came home, as Ron and Hermione stayed with Ginny at the hospital, Harry sat Mr. and Mrs. Weasley down and told them of the plans that he and Ginny had - that they had planned to be married shortly after the fire. The Weasley's were stunned that Harry and Ginny had gone ahead with wedding plans without their consent or knowledge, but finally they understood. Once again, Mrs. Weasley tried to apologize to Harry, but he waved her off.

"Mrs. Weasley, that's not why I told you – I don't want you to apologize for trying to protect Ginny. I understand, truly. I just want you to know that the fire didn't change anything for either of us. We still want to be married as soon as possible – with very little fanfare. I was thinking that once Ginny's rehab is completed next month and she has her strength back, we're going to be married – right here – with just the family. Okay?"

Mr. Weasley nodded. "Of course, Harry, that would be wonderful."

**XXX**

Ginny was moved to Grimmauld Place swiftly the following day. Harry didn't want her exposed to any outside threat, so when she was handed her release papers, Harry took Ginny in his arms and immediately turned on the spot, disapparating directly to Grimmauld Place with her.

Harry put her down gently on the sofa in the library, and Ginny chuckled.

"What?" he asked her.

"I'm not made of glass, Harry – and I can walk – sort of…" she responded.

He chuckled, too, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I guess I forgot. It's just…I like taking care of you," he replied and bent down to kiss her lightly. He pulled away just as her family began apparating in from the hospital, carrying Ginny's clothes and things that had been left there.

Kreacher prepared a celebratory dinner for Ginny's arrival home, and the mood at Grimmauld Place was much lighter and more relaxed then it had been for weeks.

**XXX**

Harry helped Ginny to her room that night. It was still difficult for Ginny to walk, and she held onto Harry's arm for support. Her skin, although back to her normal color and smooth texture, was still rather tender, and her legs were still wobbly from lack of use in the hospital.

"You're doing so well," Harry said to her as they entered her room. She turned to him and smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Thanks to you," she said, kissing the side of his neck as he closed his eyes. She snuggled her face into his chest. "I'm sorry for not having said it sooner, but thank you for saving my life, Harry."

"Anytime," he replied, wishing silently that the feat would never have to be repeated.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled a little, understanding the hesitation that she heard in his voice.

"This is the first time that we've been alone together in weeks," she said, holding him tighter, running her hands down his wide back.

"Gin, we're not exactly alone – your family is about ten meters away," he replied, chuckling, pushing her back from his chest a little.

She nodded with a slight crease in her eyebrows that Harry didn't understand.

"Will you come back tonight?" she asked softly, hesitantly.

"Ginny be reasonable. Your parents and Ron and Hermione are all here. Not a good idea," he replied, chuckling again.

She turned away from him then. "Alright. Good night then, Harry," Ginny said.

He looked at her, puzzled. "Good night, Gin….are you alright?"

"Sure," she said. "Tired, I guess."

"Okay," he said and took her in his arms one more time, giving her a last kiss. "See you in the morning – sleep well."

"You, too." And, Harry closed the door as he left the room. Ginny turned and looked at the door, willing it to open again and for Harry to reappear. But, it remained tightly shut.

Ginny sat on her bed, her breathing shallow and unfocused. It was true – she knew in her heart that it was, but she had been denying it for weeks.

No matter what Harry said or did, it was true – he didn't find her attractive anymore. And, really, who could blame him? She lifted her fingers and traced the long, deep scar from the top of her face to her jaw. She was hideous, and she knew it. And the worst part was that Harry thought so, too.

He had rejected her tonight. She wanted him so badly, but he had told her no, and tried to blame it on the proximity of her family. Ginny chuckled to herself – like that had ever stopped him before.

There were many times during the summer when she and Harry would be kissing and touching like crazy at the Burrow with her parents in the next room – it never seemed to bother him then.

And once, upstairs in her bedroom, Harry was nearly caught with his lips sucking her nipple by Ron. Thankfully, Ginny's hands were fast enough to pull her top down before Ron had the door fully open. Harry sat there gaping at her, turning red, his lips still semi-puckered, as Ron burst in. Ginny couldn't help it, she had laughed.

But, she wasn't laughing now. Her face stung with the rejection and awash with her hot, silent tears. She was humiliated – she wanted to run from this place. But, then it occurred to her – she had nowhere to go.


	9. Chapter 9

**CP 9**

Harry returned to the Weasley's after helping Ginny to her room, and twenty minutes later, he excused himself for bed. He climbed the creaky stairs slowly to the third floor and entered a spare room there. He had long since relinquished his room – Sirius' room, the master suite – to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Harry showered and changed and made his way to bed, still feeling uneasy. Something wasn't right. He had felt it since saying goodnight to Ginny – something with Ginny was off.

He ran through their conversation in his mind, but couldn't pick out anything specific that he could remember that would give her reason to be upset.

He pictured her three flights below him in her bed. Maybe she was thinking of him, too, her brilliant red hair fanned out around her, and he couldn't get her out of his mind. He got flashes of her – her perfect, full breasts with the pale pink nipples, her amazing, firm bum – and his heartbeat accelerated substantially. He needed to be with her - to hold her close.

Harry waited until he heard the Weasley's climb the stairs to bed. He counted as the doors shut – Mr. and Mrs. Weasley – Hermione – and finally Ron. He let another twenty minutes pass, then he was out of his bed.

He tip-toed as quietly as he could to the top of the stair case, knowing full well if he ever attempted to walk down the creaky stairs, he would be heard. He smiled as he whispered "_wingardium leviosa_" and pointed his wand at himself, and he felt his body being levitated down the stairs. He chuckled silently, thinking how funny it was that he had to creep about his own house.

The latch on the door to Ginny's room clicked quietly when Harry turned the knob and let himself in. Ginny's back was to him as she lay in bed, he legs curled tightly to her chest. Harry smiled as he pulled his shirt up and over his head and crawled into bed behind her and wrapped his arms around her body, immediately being overwhelmed by her closeness, and he sighed – he had missed her so much.

Ginny's legs unfurled unconsciously, and she leaned back into Harry's warmth, still asleep. He smiled as she leaned into his chest, and he kissed her hair, inhaling her scent that was so vital to him. His body reacted instinctively to her nearness, and he felt his erection press itself against Ginny's bum.

She murmured, a pleasurable groan, as she turned herself over and into Harry's arms, still not fully conscious. A smile played on her lips, as Harry licked his own. He lay there studying her face as he had so often done as she lay silently sleeping in St. Mungo's. The scar that she thought so hideous didn't detract him at all from seeing her true beauty.

Harry kissed her hair gently, working his way down her forehead and cheeks, surprised to find that her cheeks tasted salty. He pulled back from her then and looked at Ginny closely. Remnants of tears streaked her cheeks – she had been crying.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he shook her shoulder a little.

"Ginny?" he said softly, not wanting to startle her. "Gin?" he said a little louder.

"Mmm…" she replied, her eyes finally fluttering open, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Harry!" she said, smiling now, pulling herself closer to his chest. "Harry, you came."

He pulled away. "Why were you crying, Gin?"

She exhaled. "It's nothing, Harry."

"Please tell me, Gin. I don't understand."

"Tell me first why you came down here," she replied, looking in his eyes.

He grimaced, but nodded. "I was thinking about you lying here all alone, three floors below me, and I couldn't stay away. I couldn't stand being this close to you and not having you in my arms. I had to come."

She smiled, a bright, brilliant smile, and Harry laughed. "If I knew it would make you that happy, I never would have left you tonight," he said.

She sighed. "I was lying down here thinking that no matter how many times you said it, that you didn't want me anymore. I asked you to come to me tonight and you said no. It was the first time that you rejected me, and I guess I was feeling sorry for myself," Ginny replied.

Harry crushed her to him. "Ginny, I wasn't rejecting you. Jesus – never! It just felt so weird with your parents and Ron and Hermione here. I don't know….it being my house, and…it's just strange. I can't explain it, but I _always_ want you, Gin. Please stop doubting that – I will always want you with me."

She nodded, and kissed him. "Just a little insecure, I guess," she said softly.

"Well, don't be – don't ever be unsure of how I feel about you," he whispered into her ear. "I love you." He licked her ear and drew her lobe into his mouth, running his tongue over and under it, and chills ran up and down Ginny's spine.

"Too bad we're going to have to be quiet because I want to hear you scream my name when I make you come," Harry breathed and Ginny shivered.

"Mu…muffliato…" she managed to squeak out after a minute and Harry smiled. He grabbed his wand and performed the charm, also locking Ginny's door and casting an imperturbable charm as well.

"Good thinking," he said, licking her ear again. "Now, you can scream as loud as you want. Are your lungs up to it?" he joked and Ginny chuckled.

"Oh, I think I can manage a good scream…if you do a good enough job…" and it was Harry's turn to laugh.

"You're going to regret saying that," he replied as he kissed her again. Harry leaned on one arm and traced the swell of Ginny's breast with the other. He teased her nipple through the fabric of her top and watched as it pebbled against his fingers.

"I love the way your body reacts to my touch," he said.

Ginny said nothing, but sat up and pulled her top over her head and pushed her shorts down and off of her body as Harry got rid of his as well. She laid back down, and Harry traced his finger around her nipple as Ginny watched his movements. He pinched her nipple hard then, and Ginny arched her back off of the bed, pushing her breast into Harry's hand.

"Mmm…I missed you, Harry," she breathed. He smiled and bent his head, taking her nipple into his mouth and licking it. Ginny groaned loudly and fisted her hand in his dark hair. She pressed his head to her chest harder, and he responded by biting down on her nipple, eliciting a deeper groan from Ginny.

He pulled back slightly when Ginny winced loudly and he looked up into her pained face. "Gin, I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"It's just a little tender. Don't stop, please Harry," she said. Harry vowed to be gentler with her, hoping that he wouldn't forget himself.

She whimpered a little as he kissed her stomach instead of returning to her breast, and she reached up and tugged her nipple, rolling it between her fingers. Harry watched her fingers in fascination – he loved when she stimulated herself in front of him – which gave him an idea…

Harry continued his trek down her stomach until he came to her mound of red curly hair. He ran his fingers through the soft curls, letting them spiral and curl around his fingers and Ginny moaned again.

Harry crawled between her legs, and Ginny gingerly opened them as wide as she could for him. "Harry…" she whispered, as he settled himself and licked the inside of her thighs, ending just below her core. "Please, Harry…"

Ginny continued to play with her nipples as Harry opened her core with both of his thumbs, spreading her lips open wide and Ginny gasped as her back arched off of the bed again. "Please, Harry, please…"

Harry inhaled the scent of Ginny's arousal and he smiled. "I missed you, too, Gin," he whispered and he slid his tongue deep into Ginny's core.

Ginny screamed Harry's name out loud, and he continued to lick her center relentlessly. Harry pulled back a minute later and took Ginny's right hand from her breast and guided it to her core.

"Together," he whispered, as he took her pointer finger with his and plunged them both into her. The feeling of his finger and Ginny's together in her core, twisting around each other, thrusting in and out was nearly more then Harry could bear, and watching it was exquisite torture. Ginny moaned again as she brought herself up and leaned on her other elbow, watching them intently, too.

Their eyes met and they smiled, Harry leaning up to kiss her, their fingers never stopping. Ginny's breathing deepened, and her moaning became louder. She threw her head back and screamed Harry's name again and again and his lips curled into a smile.

"Harry, God…" Ginny's hips bucked in time with their thrusts, and seconds later she screamed again as the most intense orgasm of her life ripped through her body. She withdrew her finger from herself quickly and wrapped her arms around Harry, and he held her as she moaned as she pulsed.

She collapsed against him as the last few waves rolled through her core and he held her steady, kissing her hair and shoulders. Ginny chuckled a moment later and nuzzled her face into Harry's neck. Harry finally removed his fingers from her, loving that he had felt her contracting around his fingers as she came.

"Jesus, Harry…" she said, laughing, licking her lips. She lay back on the bed, Harry coming to lie next to her, and he held her hand smiling along with her.

"Nice set of lungs you got there," he said.

"They sure got a workout on that one. Holy shit, that was unbelievable," she said softly.

"That was the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen."

Ginny reached down between them and took Harry's erection in her hand. "_This_ is the sexiest thing I've ever seen," she said softly. "Shall we work together again, then?" she asked, smiling.

Chuckling at the surprised look on his face, Ginny took Harry's hand, still wet from her orgasm, and wrapped it around his dick. She placed her hand over his and began stroking him, up and down, again and again. Harry groaned out loud, and pumped himself a little faster.

Ginny removed her hand and brought her lips down to his head and ran her tongue around it, licking it thoroughly, and groaning deeply as she watched Harry's hand pump up and down, faster now, his grip a little tighter. She watched as his hands twisted the skin slightly as he reached his head, and on every one of his down strokes, she plunged her mouth down his shaft until she met his hand. They worked in perfect syncopation, Ginny adding her tongue and a slight grazing of her teeth every so often.

The steady and very loud stream of curses flying from Harry's mouth told her that she was doing something right, and she smiled and moaned at the same time. Ginny was right, this was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

And, Harry couldn't disagree with her. He watched intently as he masturbated for the first time in front of another person. His hand pressed into his flesh just the way he liked it, and her mouth and tongue filled him with sensations that he had no name for.

His breathing hitched as Ginny's head bobbed up and down repeatedly, he was so close. The tightening low in his belly told him that he only had seconds left before he exploded. He fisted his fingers around Ginny's soft hair and held her still, bucking his hips up until the head of his dick hit the back of her throat and she groaned.

"Ginny, please…" Harry began, unable to finish his thought. Ginny understood. She removed her mouth from Harry, licking him one last time and straddled his hips. Harry watched her as she fastened her hand around his still holding his erection and guided Harry's dick to her core. He rose up onto his elbow.

Harry slid his hand out from under hers and traced his fingers up and down her core until Ginny screamed again, looking at Harry with wild eyes. Ginny positioned her hips directly above Harry and slid down onto his shaft excruciatingly slowly. She made sure that Harry was watching as she rose and fell on top of him repeatedly.

Harry's hands stroked Ginny's thighs as the muscles there worked furiously as her rhythm increased. "Ginny…God…oh, God!" he screamed as she squeezed her thighs together, making him erupt inside of her. Ginny grunted loudly as she followed Harry into bliss.

Harry fell back against the pillows and Ginny collapsed onto his chest, their breathing very ragged and uneven. Harry was too weak to even rub her back, and she chuckled as she traced circles on his chest and licked his nipple.

After a few minutes, Harry opened his eyes and grinned at Ginny. "My…God…" he said, finally catching his breath. "Unbelievable."

"Umm Hmm..." Ginny agreed. She stretched out beside Harry contentedly, and he folded her against his chest, stroking her hair and kissing her cheeks.

"I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered.

"I love you, too," she replied and closed her eyes with a smile on her lips.

They fell asleep wrapped around each other, legs and arms entwined, never letting each other go – not once.


	10. Chapter 10

**CP 10**

The next morning, Harry woke early, kissed a still sleeping Ginny and went back to his room. He had a lot of plans for the day, and he wanted to get an early start. He took a shower and ate a quick breakfast, and after leaving Ginny a note, Harry was gone.

He apparated outside of Neville's London flat and walked the four flights up to his apartment. He knocked softly, glad that Neville had agreed to meet with him so early. Neville opened the door and greeted Harry warmly, ushering him inside.

"Harry, I just need to change my clothes, help yourself to coffee in the kitchen and we'll be on our way."

"Sure, Neville, thanks," Harry replied, heading to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup and wandered around Neville's sitting room. He looked at the pictures on his mantle and grinned at them. Neville had pictures of Ginny and Luna, Hermione, Ron and himself, most of them taken this past year in the common room, in DA meetings and on the Quidditch pitch.

Neville had a great picture of Ginny firing the quaffle at Ron during a Quidditch practice, a radiant smile on her face as the red ball sailed through Ron's fingers and she raised her hands in the air in victory. Harry watched this picture for a long time as it replayed itself over and over and he grinned. She was beautiful.

Neville came back into the room, and Harry turned to put his cup in the kitchen sink. "Ready to go?" Harry asked and Neville nodded, taking his coat from the peg by the door.

"Thanks again for doing this for me, Neville, I really appreciate it."

"Not at all, Harry. My Uncle Bill is a great guy and he's happy to help. He was really sorry to hear about what happened to the Weasley's," Neville replied as they walked down the stairs.

Harry took Neville's arm as he side-along apparated with him to his uncle's architectural office. Neville introduced them, and Harry explained what he wanted. As Neville's uncle was a wizard, Harry was able to speak freely about the Burrow and its magical properties, and what Harry wanted for the Weasley's. Neville's uncle worked over a page of parchment, drawing, as Harry spoke, making adjustments, adding and deleting as needed.

Neville's uncle had a construction team waiting to begin the project, and Harry was able to meet them all that morning. Neville, Harry and Neville's Uncle Bill apparated to the Burrow an hour later with blueprints in hand, ready for the reconstruction to begin.

Once on sight, Harry pointed out where things had been before, the house, the shed, their relation to the orchard, the chimneys and bedrooms. Harry asked that the rooms be expanded in size a bit but kept very similar, the kitchen and its equipment updated and a number of fireplaces added.

He had already arranged for Mrs. Weasley to have an account at a furniture store in Diagon Alley so that she could pick out what she wanted once the reconstruction of the Burrow was completed.

Harry asked Uncle Bill about a date of completion and he had said two weeks, which Harry thought was outstanding. He was hoping to keep it a surprise for the Weasley's, but he was going to tell Ginny and Ron so that they could help keep their parents away from the site until it was ready.

He shook Neville and Uncle Bill's hands and thanked them profusely again, then disapparated back to Grimmauld Place. He found Ginny in her bedroom with the Healer, who was in the middle of her daily rehab. He nodded to her and she smiled a little at him, a grimace of pain flickering across her face as the Healer worked her leg muscles.

Harry retreated then, finding Ron watching cricket in the sitting room. Harry joined him and told him about his plans for the Burrow and how he needed Ron's help to keep his parents away. Ron looked at Harry with wide, unseeing eyes, almost like he had been confunded.

"What, Ron?" Harry said nervously. "You think it's a bad idea?"

Ron just shook his head. "I'm just…it's just…brilliant," he finished. "Mum is going to flip."

"I had to do it, Ron. It's my fault that it happened to you all in the first place."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I wish that you would stop blaming yourself for something that you couldn't control, mate. It's rubbish, really," Ron said.

Harry shook his head, unwilling to allow Ron to let him off the hook, but letting the subject drop.

The Healer from St. Mungo's exited Ginny's bedroom twenty minutes later and approached Harry and Ron. Harry stood to greet her, and she went over what she had been working on with Ginny. She asked if Harry would be willing to work with Ginny once more during the day so that she received two full sessions. Harry agreed at once, happy that he was going to be able to help Ginny.

He went to her then. Ginny lie on her bed looking at Harry a small smile on her lips.

"How did it go, love?" Harry asked, sitting beside her.

"Not bad – I'm a little sore – but that could be from last night," she replied, her eyes twinkling, and Harry chuckled and held her tight to him.

"I'm sorry about that, Gin," Harry said quietly. "I got carried away, but I should have been much more gentle with you last night."

"I wasn't complaining, Harry, trust me. I don't even think I _felt_ my legs last night! My attention was focused elsewhere…" she answered and he laughed.

"I have someone coming over to visit you in a little while. Are you up to it?" he asked her, helping her up. Ginny took his arm and they walked towards the sitting room.

"Sure," she said, "but who is it?"

At that moment, the flames of the fireplace shone emerald green and flared brightly. A silver-haired wizard stepped from the flames, levitating a large trunk behind him. Harry helped Ginny to a chair, and then hurried to help the aging wizard with his wares.

"Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Ollivander," Harry said and he shook the old man's hand and escorted him to a chair very near Ginny.

"Mr. Ollivander!" Ginny said, surprised. She stood to greet him. "It's so nice to see you again – it's been a long time."

"Yes, quite," the wizard said, sitting once again. "Well, I hear that you are in need of a new wand, Miss Weasley. A shame, yours was a perfect fit for you. Well, let's see if we can't find you a suitable replacement." The wizard opened his trunk and began rifling through the boxes that had been packed in tight.

Ginny looked at Harry with wonder. How did he always know? Ginny had been feeling so strange for the past month – vulnerable – without her wand. There had been numerous times when she had cursed herself for leaving her wand on her nightstand the night of the fire. She had been eyeing Harry's wand almost jealously whenever he performed a spell.

She caught Harry's eye and smiled at him. She mouthed the words '_thank you'_ to him and he nodded and smiled.

For the next thirty minutes, Ginny tried wand after wand, stopping only when Ron and Hermione burst in to see Mr. Ollivander and ask him how he was feeling. The foursome talked as Ginny waved every wand that she was offered, but nothing felt quite right in her hand.

That is, until Mr. Ollivander pulled out a long dark green box and opened the lid. He handed Ginny a long, slender wand that instantly felt warm in her hand.

"Ten inches, birch, griffin heartstring core, very springy, excellent for charm work," the wand maker said. "Give it a go."

Ginny flicked her wrist and a stream of red sparks flew out of the tip, the wand glowed momentarily and Ginny smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I quite agree, Miss Weasley. I think you've found your wand."

Hermione helped Mr. Ollivander to gather the boxes that had been unceremoniously discarded and arrange them neatly back in his trunk as Harry stood to help him up from his chair.

"Thank you again, Mr. Ollivander for coming all this way," Harry said.

"Not at all, Mr. Potter. I owe you my life. Anything you need…" he left the sentence unfinished, but Harry understood. He dug deep in his pocket and pulled out a few coins to pay for Ginny's wand. He put the coins into Mr. Ollivander's hand, but the elder wizard shook his head.

"No, Mr. Potter, I can't accept your money," he laughed a little. "Besides, this one here looks a little the worse for wear!"

The old man disappeared into the fire as Harry looked down at the coins in his hand. Strange that he would have a bent galleon. Hermione looked closely at the coin and laughed at him.

"Harry, that's your DA coin! I'd recognize one anywhere – see, they have my initials engraved here on the edge. I did it to every one of them that I charmed fifth year."

"Can't be, I have mine upstairs in my Hogwarts trunk," Harry replied, confused.

"Well, it's definitely a DA coin, Harry."

"Hang on! This must be the coin that I found at the Burrow after the fire. I meant to ask you both if it was yours?" He looked at Ron and Ginny questioningly.

"Not mine, mate. Hermione has mine," Ron said and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Mine was in my bedside table at home, Harry," Ginny said.

"You're sure? Both of you?" he asked and they nodded their heads. Harry's eyebrows furrowed and he thought for a moment.

"_Expecto patronum_," Harry said, holding his wand aloft as the stag burst forth and turned to him. "_George, I need to know if you have your galleon from the DA that Hermione charmed. Do you have yours, and do you know where Fred's might be? Please let me know as soon as you can_." The stag cantered away and disappeared.

"What are you thinking, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno. I just think it's odd, that's all," he said. "Come on, let's go in to dinner," he said reaching for Ginny's hand, a sinking feeling settling deep in his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

**CP 11**

Harry received George's reply before breakfast the next morning. An owl woke him by tapping at the window of Ginny's bedroom. Harry removed the note from the owl's leg and tried to let him back out through the window, but the owl wouldn't leave. He gave a soft hoot and nipped at the parchment, and Harry nodded, guessing that the owl was instructed to wait for a reply.

Harry looked at Ginny, thankful the owl's tapping hadn't woken her, and he unfurled the note.

_Harry:_

_Hey, mate! It was great to hear from you last night, even if your patronus did scare half of my customers away (kidding). A silver stag charging through the front windows of the store does take a fair bit of getting used to, though. _

_Sorry – I know that your question must be of great importance to you if you sent your stag, so to answer – I have both of our DA coins here in my flat. I kept Fred's with mine since he died, along with some other things of his that meant a lot to him. I have them here with me and am looking at them now._

_Please just scribble a quick reply and send it back to me. Let me know if you need anything else, or if I can help in any way._

_Thanks, too, for keeping my family safe there with you. Ron let me know what you were doing for my parents regarding the Burrow, and I can't thank you enough, Harry._

_Tell Mum that I will drop round for dinner before long. _

_Cheers,_

_George_

Harry scribbled a quick reply and thanks to George and sent it back with the waiting owl. He closed the window and secured the latch, and when he turned Ginny was looking up at him from the bed.

"Bad news?" she asked as he sat back down by her side.

"No, it was from George. He has both his and Fred's DA coins with him in his flat above the shop." Harry turned to face Ginny then, a look of concern on his face. "If each of us still has ours coins, then whose coin did I find at the Burrow that day?"

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed as she thought. "Dunno, Harry. A DA member must have lost their coin there. Luna's been to our house a few times, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Angelina and Katie among others were there for the wedding. It could belong to any of them." Ginny paused, looking at Harry. "Wait, you're not thinking it was someone from the DA are you?"

Harry grimaced as he looked at Ginny. He exhaled deeply and said, "I really don't know what to think at this point, Gin. It's just – finding that coin at the Burrow – it's really bothering me." He smiled at her weakly. "I'm sure I'm just overreacting, but it's strange, don't you think?"

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "It could be just a simple coincidence, Harry. Maybe someone brought it to the wedding with them and dropped it. Whoever it is probably doesn't even realize it's missing. You, yourself, almost spent it yesterday."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he smiled a genuine smile this time and leaned in to kiss her. "I think that I'll ask Hermione to call another meeting of the DA, though. Be interesting to see who shows up. It'll be a reunion, if nothing else," Harry smiled again and Ginny nodded.

"It would be nice to see them all again," Ginny said, sitting up and weaving her arms around Harry's neck. "Now, why don't we forget all about the DA and concentrate on each other…"

Harry kissed Ginny, tracing his tongue across her lips and caressing the small of her back with his hands. Ginny turned her head to deepen their kiss as Harry's hands snaked their way under her shirt to her breasts and flicked his thumbs across her nipples. Ginny moaned as Harry's mouth left hers and trailed kisses down her neck. As he reached her nipple and licked it gently, they heard Ron and Hermione racing down the stairs bickering loudly.

Harry's head snapped up and Ginny pushed her shirt down instantly, and they looked at each other and smiled.

"Later…" Harry said, smiling.

"Remember where you were…" Ginny replied, smiling, too, and they got up from her bed heading towards the kitchen for breakfast.

XXX

"So, only two more weeks of therapy, Ginny. How are you feeling?" Mrs. Weasley asked her daughter sitting across from her at the breakfast table.

"I'm feeling good, Mum. My legs are getting stronger everyday, and my skin finally isn't so sensitive anymore."

"That's great, honey," Mr. Weasley responded as Harry nodded.

"What's on your agenda for the day, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, turning to face Harry seated next to her.

"Actually, I have a surprise for all of you," he responded.

"Really?!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Oh, Harry, please don't give us anything – you've done so much for us already, and I'm sure that we've long outstayed our welcome."

"Not at all," Harry replied, smiling. "I love having all of you here. This place finally feels like a real home. But, I do have something to show you all this afternoon, if you're all free?"

"Of course," Mr. Weasley replied.

Harry took Ginny's hand, leading her to the front door for their morning walk. "Then, if you'll all excuse us, we'll see you back here in a bit." Harry cast a disillusionment charm on himself and Ginny and they shut the front door behind them as they left.

XXX

"If you all would meet us at the Burrow, then?" Harry said as he took Ginny in his arms and turned on the spot, apparating to the boundary of the Burrow and walking towards the home.

Three minutes later, the Weasley's were all there, their mouths hanging open, eyes unbelieving. Mrs. Weasley had silent tears streaming down her cheeks and Mr. Weasley stood there looking at his beloved home, not quite understanding how this all came about.

"What is this, Harry?" Mr. Weasley finally managed to ask. Harry smiled.

"It's the Burrow, rebuilt, new and improved. Neville helped me to arrange everything with his uncle, who's an architect. His crew has been working furiously for the past two weeks."

"It's brilliant, Harry," Ron said, opening the kitchen door and walking in. "It's even better then before."

Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen and gasped again, her tears starting anew. "Oh, Harry, this is really way too much," she said, lovingly running her hands over the new stove and refrigerator. "It's lovely."

"Good, I'm glad that you're pleased," Harry responded, pulling Ginny close to his side as Ron raced up the stairs to see his room. "There are a couple of changes…" Harry began, only to be interrupted by Ron shouting down the stairs,

"I have a fireplace in my room!" he screamed as they laughed downstairs. Harry pointed up the stairs,

"Like that. I had the crew add a number of fireplaces and enlarge the bedrooms slightly, but other then that I described it as best I could, so it should be pretty much as you remember it I hope," Harry finished.

Mrs. Weasley came to Harry then and brought him into a bone-crushing hug. "Harry, this is more then a gift. You gave us back our home. That you did this for us, especially after what we've put you through since May…it's so much more then we deserve. Thank you, Harry."

"Not at all," he replied. "Also, you have a store in Diagon Alley waiting for you to come and pick out furniture, so I thought you and Mr. Weasley could do that tomorrow, and then pick out some paint, and you can be back home in a couple of weeks, if you'd like."

Mr. Weasley nodded and hugged Harry, too. Then, he took Mrs. Weasley and rushed up the stairs to see the changes as Harry and Ginny smiled. Harry took Ginny in his arms and held her as she exhaled deeply.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked her. She nodded into his shoulder.

"How could it not be? I'm here with you and you are the most incredible man in the world," Ginny replied. "What you did for them, Harry – it's truly amazing. The Burrow means so much to everyone and you gave it back to us. Thank you."

"It means a lot to me, too, Gin. This is the first place I truly felt at home. I love it here." Harry paused and pulled Ginny from his chest and looked into her eyes. "Gin, do you want to come with them when your family moves back here?"

Ginny's eyebrows knit together. She suddenly got an aching feeling deep in the pit of her stomach when she thought about being separated from Harry again. Tears welled up in her eyes and she shook her head vehemently.

"No," she said. "I want to stay with you, Harry." Harry's responding smile was brilliant and he let out a deep breath that he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Thank God," he said, making Ginny smile. "I don't think I could stand not having you with me."

"Me, either," she replied, moving back into his arms.

"Will you marry me next weekend then, at Grimmauld Place? Just you and me and your family?" Harry asked and kissed Ginny's hair as he waited.

Ginny took a minute to check the tears that suddenly started flowing from her eyes and she leaned back a little, looking at Harry.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, panicking a little at her tears.

She nodded her head. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'd love to."

Harry grinned, "Jesus, you scared me," he said and Ginny grinned.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too."

Ron's thunderous footsteps could be heard coming down from the attic, and were joined on the third floor by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. A minute later, the three of them returned to the kitchen, finding Harry and Ginny holding each other and smiling.

"It's fantastic, Harry!" Ron gushed. "Brilliant!"

"I'm glad," Harry said. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't replace your possessions as easily. Your pictures, your things."

"Harry, don't be silly," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling. "We have everything we need right here," she said, tapping her temple with her finger. "All of our memories are right here, everything else can be replaced. Thank you so much, again, for this unbelievable gift."

Harry waved off her thanks. "We've got something to tell you," Harry began, then looked expectantly at Ginny.

She smiled at him and said, "Harry and I are going to get married on Saturday at Grimmauld Place. Just us, our closest friends and family."

"Wonderful," Mr. Weasley said, clapping Harry on the back and hugging Ginny.

"We have so much to do!" Mrs. Weasley began. "The flowers, the dress, food, music! How will I ever do it all?" she laughed good-naturedly.

"You won't, Mum," Ginny said. "Small and elegant, remember? We'll take care of it – me and Harry."

Harry nodded, but added, "Although, we'd love your help as well." Mrs. Weasley smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course, whatever I can do, I'd be glad to help," she said.

"Me, too," Ron added, hugging Harry and Ginny in turn. "Congratulations."

Harry smiled, trying not to let any of them see the worry in his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Cp 12**

The Weasley's, Hermione and Harry sat around the dinner table the night before the wedding, laughing and joking. The mood in Grimmauld Place was light and fun and loving. Bill, Charlie, Percy and George joined the rest of the family at Harry's on Thursday evening, and had spent Friday cleaning, moving furniture and setting up chairs for the simple ceremony.

The week leading up to the wedding had been a whirlwind. Harry had called in many favors in order to make it happen so quickly. Harry, not wanting Ginny to leave the security of Grimmauld Place just yet, had arranged the people that he needed for the wedding to come to them here.

One day was set aside for choosing the gowns, and Harry arranged for a bridal store owner to bring a large selection of gowns for Ginny, her mother and Hermione to choose from. Ron, Mr. Weasley and Harry had set out the same day to buy new dress robes for the occasion.

The next day entailed choosing the flowers, and again, a florist came to Grimmauld Place with pictures of every type of flower that Harry could imagine, along with pictures of numerous floral arrangements. Ginny chose a simple bouquet of champagne roses, a smaller bouquet of the same for Hermione, and a corsage with the same roses for her mother. Boutonnières for the three men would be single roses in the same color.

That afternoon, the jeweler came and Harry and Ginny chose their wedding rings.

Mrs. Weasley and Harry went out one day and bought the table linens and tons of cream colored candles, and that afternoon Harry and Ginny talked to Kreacher about the food. Harry had arranged for Kingsley to officiate the ceremony, and the invitations had all been delivered.

Harry and Ginny had decided that a late afternoon ceremony would be best, followed by a celebratory dinner in the backyard. The ceremony would be held in the sitting room. The chairs had been set up and tied with white fabric bows, the multitude of candles were placed around the room, different sized plants were brought in to fill in around the corners and the flowers were coming in the morning.

The family went to bed early that night, all looking forward to the following day. When Harry and Ginny were the only ones left in the library, Harry exhaled and folded Ginny into his arms.

"I'm glad that we decided to do this simply, Gin. Are you disappointed not to have a big wedding?" Harry asked.

"Not at all, I don't need a full-on event. I'm marrying you, Harry, and that's all I need. Everything else is just icing on the cake."

He smiled. "I feel the same way," he replied bringing Ginny to her feet. "Now, let's get you to bed."

Ginny laughed, "I like the sound of that!"

Harry laughed, too. "No way, Ginny! Not tonight. You sleep tonight, and we'll make tomorrow night extra-special."

"How? My whole family will be sleeping here…" she asked, whining a little.

"Don't worry, I took care of that," Harry replied, stopping at her bedroom door, taking her hand and bringing it softly to his lips. "I love you, Gin."

"I love you, too, Harry," she replied, smiling. "See you tomorrow…" and she leaned in and kissed him, winding her hands in his dark hair and pulling Harry close.

Harry chuckled as he pulled away gently. "Goodnight…" he said and turned to climb the stairs as she smiled at his back.

Xxx

Their wedding day dawned unusually bright and sunny, and Ginny rolled over in bed reaching instinctively for Harry. Her hands ran over cold, empty sheets and she was instantly awake. She opened her eyes, confused as to why he would be out of bed so early, and the realization dawned on her.

Today, she was marrying Harry.

Ginny grinned, and stretched out on her bed, flexing her arms and legs and mewing like a very contented cat. She blinked a couple of times, relaxing back into her pillows and tracing circles on her stomach thinking if the day to come. She glanced to her right, looking at the beautiful gown that she was going to wear, her veil flowing across the floor and her jewelry sitting on the dressing table.

She swiveled her head to look out of the window and saw beautiful rays of sunlight streaming through the curtains. It was going to be a beautiful day.

XXX

Harry had awoken much earlier then Ginny – before the sun had risen. He crept downstairs and opened Ginny's door and he stepped quietly to her side and smiled at her as she lay sleeping. Her hair was fanned out around her and even in her sleep she wore a faint smile on her lips. This was one of the reasons why Harry loved her so much.

He knelt by her side and stared at her for a few minutes, trying to comprehend that they would belong to each other officially in just a few short hours. He leaned in and kissed her cheek and she smiled unconsciously, making Harry smile in reply. He was so incredibly lucky.

"I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered and kissed her again. He brushed her hair back away from her face and she turned her head towards him, still asleep. He grinned once more and got to his feet. He ran the delicate fabric of her wedding gown through his fingers and turned for her door, closing it quietly behind him.

He climbed the stairs and woke Ron. Sixty minutes later the two of them were safely ensconced in the luxury suite that Harry had reserved for himself and Ginny - a special place to spend their wedding night alone.

Ron headed directly to the second bedroom, determined to sleep for a while longer, and Harry laughed at him as he called for room service. He spent the next bit of time unpacking his and Ginny's things – glad that he had managed to sneak some of her clothes away from Grimmauld Place. He also bought bottles of the shampoo and things that she liked so that she wouldn't miss anything while they were here.

Harry was glad that he had managed to slip out this past week and shop some for Ginny. He had bought her some new clothes that he thought she would like and also some lingerie. He didn't know if that was more for him then her, but he hoped that she would like it, too. He smiled as he put her things into the empty wardrobe and went back into the large living room and turned on the telly. He was starving suddenly as he sunk back into the sofa, waiting for his breakfast.

XXX

Things were substantially more hectic at Grimmauld Place. As soon as Ginny left her room, she was surrounded by people running everywhere. The florist had arrived and was set up in the kitchen frantically arranging flowers in vases and into flower balls. Ginny's Mum was looking very worried as she studied the sitting room arrangement of chairs and plants.

Ginny smiled and shook her head, stealing some toast and eggs from the sideboard in the kitchen. She saw Kreacher there choreographing the preparation of the meal for the wedding. He was overseeing the icing of the cake, the chopping of vegetables and the sautéing of beef and chicken simultaneously. He approached her as the knives and spatulas kept up their symphony, and he poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Kreacher," she said and smiled at the elf. "And, thank you so much for all of the work you're doing for the wedding dinner. Harry and I appreciate it so much."

"It is Kreacher's pleasure to serve his master and mistress."

Ginny was taken aback at this; Kreacher had never addressed her as his mistress. She smiled at the idea that now she would be mistress of Grimmauld Place.

"Is Harry here?" she asked the elf.

"No, he and young Mr. Weasley left quite early this morning. He will be back at 3PM."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Kreacher."

Ginny finished her makeshift breakfast and brushed past her mother on the way back to her room.

"Ginny! What are you doing? Fleur will be here any second to start your hair and makeup! Get in the shower this instant!"

"Mum, calm down. Simple, remember? Let her start with you since you're ready, and I'll be out in a little while. Please stop stressing, this is supposed to be a happy occasion," Ginny replied.

Ginny walked past her Mum and into her room. She went into her bathroom and turned on the shower, waiting for the hot water to come up. She stepped in and lathered her hair twice, then ran conditioner through it. She shaved and then rinsed her hair, turning off the water.

She brushed her teeth then wrapped herself in a thick robe, and she had just finished running a brush through her hair when there was soft knock on her door.

"Come in," she said, and Hermione followed closely by Fleur entered her room.

"Morning!" Hermione said brightly. "You look beautiful and very calm!"

"Of course, what's there to be nervous about?" Ginny replied.

Fleur and Hermione laughed, and Fleur looked at Ginny like an artist would appraise their canvas. Ginny let out a nervous giggle.

"Now, I'm nervous! Fleur, please remember…simple! Nothing extravagant or over the top. No fake eyelashes, no big hair or elaborate twists…please?"

"Of course, Geeny. You vill look lovely, that I promise." Fleur came behind Ginny and began combing through her hair. She plugged in the hair dryer and switched it on, and all conversation became impossible at that point.

Hermione gave Ginny a little wave as she left the room, and for the next hour Fleur worked on Ginny's hair and makeup. Fleur never let Ginny look in the mirror, so she was clueless as to how she would look as she married Harry.

Fleur drew her chair closer to Ginny as she worked to camouflage the deep scar running down Ginny's face. She worked intently, making Ginny cringe as the makeup sponge swept over her scar repeatedly.

"Is it really bad, Fleur?" Ginny asked softly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Not at all, Geeny. I am just trying to make eet fade into ze background, zat is all." Fleur switched from the makeup sponge to a fluffy black brush. She swiped it through loose powder and brushed it back and forth across Ginny's face.

"Now," Fleur said. "Ve are all finished." Fleur swiveled Ginny's chair around so that she faced the mirror and was astounded at Fleur's skill.

"Wow, you can hardly see it, Fleur!" Ginny inched closer to the mirror, examining her well-hidden scar. "That's amazing."

"Eet only looks very bad to you, Geeny. Ve all just see _you_." Fleur said wisely, and Ginny stood up.

"Thank you, Fleur." Ginny hugged her sister-in-law, feeling true affection for her for the first time.

**Xxx**

Harry showered, shaved and dressed in less then 30 minutes and stood waiting for Ron, as usual. Ron was dawdling, fussing with his hair as Harry paced and stared at his wristwatch.

"Ron, come on, mate! It's nearly 3:00. We need to get back to Grimmauld Place."

"Relax, Harry! They can't start the wedding without you," Ron replied, laughing jovially.

Two minutes later, Harry yelled again. "Ron!! Now, or I'm leaving without you!"

"Alright! Jesus…" Ron said, coming out of the bedroom door. "Let's go, we're gonna be late."

Harry nearly smashed him in the face as Ron chuckled, but satisfied himself with giving Ron a very deep scowl instead. They both turned on the spot and disapparated to Grimmauld Place.

Harry apparated directly to his bedroom, and could hear string music and muffled conversations coming from the sitting room below. He smiled and looked at his watch, two minutes to spare. He wondered how Ginny was doing as he wandered down the stairs.

XXX

Downstairs in her bedroom, Ginny turned to face herself in the full length mirror and gasped. Fleur had done an amazing job on her face and hair and Ginny was truly grateful. Her dress was beautiful she thought, as she twirled. She couldn't believe this day was actually here. She was going to be with Harry for the rest of her life.

Her dress was perfect in its simplicity - a strapless gown, tight to her waist then gently flowing to the floor in layer upon layer of chiffon. The material, as light as a cloud, floated around Ginny making her look like an angel. The simple dress was accented only by a narrow sash tied around Ginny's waist embroidered delicately with sparkling crystals and fine silver thread.

The veil was beautiful, elegant and long. It was longer than Ginny's dress by three feet, and Ginny loved it. Aunt Muriel lent her the family tiara to hold the beautiful veil in place. Her hair had been loosely curled by Fleur and fell in long waves of flames down her back. Harry was going to love it. She switched her engagement ring from her left hand to her right, and took a deep breath.

A knock sounded and Hermione popped her head into the room. "It's time, Gin. Harry's waiting." She smiled at her best friend and winked, and Ginny smiled back turning to retrieve her flowers from the dresser.

"I'm ready," she said and held Hermione by her waist as the duo left the room.

Ginny could hear the harps and strings coming from the sitting room and her stomach fluttered. She stood outside the room with her father, mother, Ron, Charlie and Hermione as they queued before the closed doors - Charlie and her mother first, followed by Ron and Hermione, then Ginny with her father.

The music swelled suddenly and Ginny's father squeezed her hand, linked her arm through his own and then the doors to the sitting room opened…

Ginny gasped.


	13. Chapter 13

**CP 13**

Harry wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers for the hundredth time as he stood at the back of the room with Kingsley waiting to see Ginny. His breathing hitched and he tried unsuccessfully to calm himself down, his hands cold and shaking.

His stomach clenched again as the music suddenly swelled and the double doors to the room were ceremoniously opened and he saw Mrs. Weasley on Charlie's arm as they began their walk down the aisle.

Mrs. Weasley smiled as she passed through the room, waving and grinning at the assembled guests. Finally, they reached the front and Charlie handed his Mum into the front pew by her chair.

Harry's eyes were riveted to the back of the room, where Ron and Hermione had just entered. He tried to focus on them, but his mind was whirling in a million different directions. He vaguely heard the music and faintly felt Ron shake his hand as he took his place by Harry's side. Then, everything stopped.

The music had segued into the Wedding March, and Harry's body became cold and clammy again, his fingers becoming numb …until he saw her.

Ginny turned the corner and came into view on her father's arm and paused in the doorway. The look of anxiety etched on her face suddenly disappeared, and she beamed at Harry. At once, the room warmed considerably, and all of Harry's flutterings halted instantly. He locked eyes with Ginny, and his world was set back to rights.

He looked into the deep chocolate eyes that he absolutely loved, and calmed. He smiled lovingly at his bride to be, and Ginny returned the smile, seeing only Harry, oblivious to everyone else in the room.

Ginny wanted to walk faster, to _run_ to Harry, but her father's pace wouldn't quicken. She floated down the mercifully short aisle towards Harry, each step bringing her that much closer to him. Tears suddenly formed in her eyes, she was so deeply in love.

Ginny and her father reached Harry a moment later and they paused two feet from him. It took every ounce of control that Harry possessed for him not to reach out and touch her, his need was so great. Ginny's father turned to her and kissed both of her cheeks, whispered in her ear, then turned to Harry.

He shook Harry's hand, pulling him into an embrace and then placed Ginny's hand in his. Harry exhaled loudly, at peace now. The simple touch between them was electric and Ginny looked up into Harry's emerald eyes and wondered what she ever did to deserve him. Harry brought her hand to his lips in a gentle kiss and the couple smiled, their eyes never leaving the others. Harry brought her forward to stand next to him, keeping her hand in his, and they turned to Kingsley.

The guests were seated and Kingsley began.

"Friends, I am honored to be here today with you to celebrate a beautiful love story and to unite this young couple in matrimony. Harry and Ginny embody that word – love – and they've allowed us to share in their very special story. They remind us of the notion that it is _indeed_ possible to find your soul mate – someone who shares your hopes and dreams, and will stay by your side through joy and adversity." He paused for a second. "Harry and Ginny, please join your right hands."

Ginny turned and handed her bouquet to Hermione then turned back to Harry, grasping his hand in hers. Harry stroked her hand with his thumb absentmindedly, making small circles on the back of her hand.

Kingsley turned to Ginny. "Do you Ginevra Molly Weasley take Harry James Potter for your lawful wedded husband? To love and to cherish, to protect and to honor, in good times and in bad, and keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?" Kingsley asked.

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and looked in his deep emotion-filled eyes and said, "I do."

Kingsley continued, "And do you Harry James Potter take Ginevra Molly Weasley for your lawful wedded wife? To love and to cherish, to protect and to honor, in good times and in bad, and keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Harry replied in a clear voice, never taking his eyes from Ginny's.

Ron placed their rings into Kingsley's hand and he murmured an incantation over them, causing them to glow momentarily. He gave them to Harry and Ginny, and said,

"Harry, please place Ginny's ring on her finger and repeat after me: Ginny, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion…"

Harry slid Ginny's wedding ring onto her finger and repeated Kingsley's words softly. He removed her engagement ring from her right hand and placed it over her wedding ring on her left. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"Ginny, please place Harry's ring on his finger and repeat after me: Harry, I give you this ring as a sign of my love and devotion…."

Ginny shimmied Harry's ring onto his left hand easily and grabbed both of his hands in hers. She, too, repeated Kingsley's words and then brought Harry's hands to her cheek, closing her eyes momentarily, a smile spread across her face.

"Inasmuch as Harry and Ginny have come before me of their own volition and have declared their love for each other and the desire to become espoused, I now pronounce by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic that they are husband and wife. Harry, please kiss your very beautiful bride."

Harry bent his head for a moment, trying to believe that this incredible woman was really his. He glanced into Ginny's eyes and reached his hand up to cup her cheek. He brushed his thumb along her cheekbone and leaned in. He kissed her tenderly, thanking the powers above for letting this day be possible, for Ginny's love, for his unbelievable good fortune. He felt Ginny's arms circle his waist, pulling him closer to her.

He kissed her again then held her close, not realizing that the guests had broken into applause. Ginny pulled back from him a little, tears swimming in her eyes and she beamed at Harry, leaning in for another kiss.

Hermione handed Ginny her bouquet and she and Harry walked slowly back down the aisle into the corridor hand in hand. Harry swept her up off her feet and held her as tight as he could.

"Ginny…" he breathed into her ear. "God…I love you."

"I love you, Harry," she said, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

They were surrounded by their friends and family then, and were shuffled with the crowd to the backyard where Kreacher had food and drinks waiting.

Harry looked around then and was amazed that there were actually other people here. Until that moment, he didn't think that he was even aware that they had guests. Ginny chuckled as he told her this, and she looked around then, too.

"I think we both were a bit unaware of anything but each other," she said as she waved at Professor McGonagall across the yard. Ginny whooped with surprise as she was suddenly lifted ten feet into the air. Her screams stopped only when she realized that Hagrid wanted to give the bride a congratulatory hug.

Reluctantly, Harry shared Ginny for the next hour as they passed among their small number of guests. He was happy that Mrs. Weasley had stuck with their wishes when it came to the wedding guests. Both Harry and Ginny were adamant about just wanting family and close friends. In addition to the Weasley's, their children and their significant others, the only other people that were there included Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Neville, Luna, Andromeda Tonks and Teddy. Harry thought it was the perfect amount of people, and they were all people that he cared about deeply.

He was keenly aware of the people that were missing from the assembly that he dearly wished were there - Professor Dumbledore, Fred, Sirius, Remus and Tonks, and most especially his parents. He knew deep down that they would have just loved Ginny.

The diamond-shaped dance floor was suddenly illuminated with a silvery glow and Harry took Ginny's hand, leading her to the middle of the floor. All lights were dimmed, except for the silvery orb framing the newlyweds and the flicker of hundreds of candles scattered throughout the yard.

Ginny laced her fingers around Harry's neck while his circled her waist and they began to sway. Ginny leaned in, letting her head rest on Harry's shoulder and closed her eyes contentedly.

"I don't want to ever leave this spot, Harry. Can time stop right now and we can stay right here forever?" Ginny asked softly, making Harry chuckle.

"It would happen if life were perfect, love," he responded into her ear, making her shiver.

Ginny looked up into Harry's eyes, then leaned close so that only he could hear her. "God, the things that I'm gonna do to you tonight…it's going to be criminal…" she said quietly, and it was Harry's turn to shiver. A smile crept across his face and he leaned down to kiss his bride.

"I may need to take you inside for a few minutes…" he half-joked, and Ginny laughed, throwing back her head. A few of the guests laughed, too, enjoying the fact that the young couple seemed so happy. If they only knew what they were saying to each other…

The song ended and everyone applauded again, joining the couple on the dance floor. Harry took Ginny's hand, leading her into the house and Ginny smiled, hoping that he was about to keep his promise.

They stood in the kitchen, Ginny's back pressed against the door as Harry brought her into his arms. He trailed kisses along her jaw and shoulder, all the while saying,

"You're so beautiful, Gin. That dress…your hair…so fucking beautiful…" Harry kissed her and Ginny leaned in, deepening their kiss.

As his hands began to wander to her breasts, Ginny grasped them in her own, stilling them. "Not here, Harry, but…just wait until tonight…" She kissed him as he opened the door. "I love you," she said softly.

"I…adore you," he replied as he took her hand and lead her into the hallway. They passed the sitting room where the ceremony had taken place and Harry paused, turning into the room.

"Wow," he said, taking it all in. "I didn't even realize how different this place looked."

Ginny turned around and around, looking everywhere as she laughed. "It's so beautiful. I can't believe that we didn't notice any of this before…" They chuckled at how focused they had been on each other during the ceremony, oblivious to everything around them.

The room had been transformed. Beautiful sheer cream-colored fabric had been draped throughout the room, creating a feeling of a fairy tale, an intimate, warm setting. The hundreds of candles purchased by Harry during the week had been scattered strategically throughout the room, and their glow added a sense of elegance and beauty. Perfectly formed balls of cream roses hung every few feet from the ceiling, and lie on tables and mantelpieces, their scent perfuming the air subtlely.

Harry took Ginny in his arms and held her, silently swaying, enjoying the feeling of peace that was so new to him. Ginny smiled into his chest as she closed her eyes, completely content.

The couple was interrupted moments later as Hermione knocked softly on the door jamb and entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, smiling a little at them. "But, your Mum wants the two of you to cut the cake."

Ginny sighed as Harry took her hand and lead her back outside to their guests. The night passed pleasantly for them, surrounded by their family and closest friends. There was a lot of dancing and eating and drinking, laughter and well-wishes for the happy couple. It had been perfect.

Harry kept a close watch on the proceedings, his eyes stealing around the room at every opportunity, secretly worrying that they may be interrupted at any moment by the arsonist that torched the Burrow. He knew deep down that he would never truly rest until he was found. Harry seethed every time he thought of what that coward had done to the Burrow, and had nearly done to the family - and especially to the woman - that he loved. Every time that Ginny looked at him, however, he was careful to let her see only his happiness and not his rage.


	14. Chapter 14

**CP 14**

The newlyweds said goodnight to their family as the lot of them made their way up the steps to their bedrooms. Only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed downstairs to see the couple off.

"Have a wonderful night, and we'll see you soon," Mrs. Weasley said bringing Ginny into a fierce hug.

"We will, Mum, and we'll see you sometime on Monday," Ginny said, now embracing her father.

Harry hugged them both as well. "Thank you both for today, it was really perfect," Harry said, squeezing Ginny's hand.

"Welcome to the family, Harry," Mr. Weasley said.

"Thank you – it means a lot to me."

Harry and Ginny smiled as Harry pulled her tight to him. "Good night," he called as he turned on the spot with Ginny in his arms.

XXX

They apparated directly into the suite that Harry had spent most of the morning in with Ron, and Ginny smiled.

"It's beautiful, Harry, and a brilliant idea," she said, tightening her grip around his waist. "Two whole days of doing nothing but loving each other - sounds like heaven."

"I quite agree. It's a pity there's nothing at all going on in London this weekend. We'll just have to stay right here and amuse ourselves somehow."

"That's going to be tough…but I think we can manage," she said, chuckling into Harry's chest. "Do I have any clothes here?" Ginny asked, smirking.

"Yes," Harry said, laughing with her. "I did manage to pack you a few things…very few. Everything is already in our room, and in the bathroom."

"Thank you. Do you think you can help me with these, Harry? I want to get out of this dress," Ginny turned her back to Harry and pulled her hair around her neck.

"Sure," he said and approached her again. He kissed her shoulder as he began undoing the multitude of tiny buttons running down Ginny's back. "This dress is so beautiful, Gin. I was so nervous today until you turned that corner and I saw you, then everything was alright."

"I know what you mean, Harry. My hands were shaking so hard until I saw your face, then the nerves disappeared. I was so calm then, so happy."

Harry smiled as he finished with the last button. He held the dress as Ginny steadied herself against Harry's shoulder and stepped out of her dress. She turned to him.

"Jesus…" Harry said in a low, ragged voice as his eyes raked hungrily over her body. He took in her sheer, lacy white bra, matching barely-there panties, lacy thigh-high stockings and her high-heeled shoes. Ginny smiled.

"You like?" she asked, waiting for his reply, swishing her hips back and forth playfully.

"I love," he replied, approaching her slowly. He watched the swell of her breasts as her breathing deepened. The lacy white material of her bra did nothing to hide the puckering of her nipples, and Harry groaned as he ghosted his thumb across her breast.

He leaned down and kissed her, running his hands down her ribs to her waist. "So beautiful," he said as his lips found her neck and shoulders. He licked her skin and moaned. "Ginny."

"Mmm…" she replied, her eyes closed, enjoying his kisses. "You make me melt when you say my name like that," she whispered against his hot skin. "I need you, Harry."

Harry took her hand and began to lead her to their bedroom when she stopped him.

"It's too far," she whispered, running her hands down Harry's chest, popping the buttons of his shirt open as she went. Harry smiled and led her instead to the couch, helping her rid him of his shirt.

She slid the button open on his black pants, and unzipped them swiftly, pushing them to the floor and then pushing him down onto the couch when he was fully naked. Harry chuckled as he watched her straddle his hips, then his laughter was gone as Ginny ripped her tiny panties from her body in one swift motion and tossed them to the side.

Harry followed the trajectory of her underwear with his eyes, unable to believe what she had just done. Ginny ran her nails down Harry's chest, slowly tracing the line of dark, soft hair that swirled from his navel down to his groin. She grasped Harry's erection in both of her hands, a smile breaking out across her face. Harry stared at her face and licked his lips.

"Mmm…God, Harry, do that again," she said, her eyes locked on his perfectly-shaped lips. He did, running his tongue slowly around his lips, a smile tugging at the corners while she watched, transfixed. "Jesus…" She leaned in and kissed him, sucking his lip into her mouth. She moved her hips a little then, and without preamble, lowered herself onto Harry's shaft, making them both moan out loud.

"Ginny," Harry breathed into her ear, licking her there. "Mmm…yeah."

"I couldn't wait, Harry," she said in a low voice directly into his ear. "I needed this now…" she emphasized her point by impaling herself again and again on Harry's dick, moving her hips swiftly back and forth, up and down, circling.

Harry grabbed her hips and moved with her, pausing only to undo her bra and free her beautiful breasts. She leaned up for him then and he sucked her nipple into his mouth and Ginny cried out again, her hips increasing their rhythm.

"Harry…yes…yes…" she chanted as her hips moved to a fevered pitch, throwing her arms around him - trying to get closer. Harry moved, too, one hand on Ginny's hip, and one cupping her ass.

"Ginny…Jesus…yes," Harry said, close now as well.

"Please say it, Harry…you know I love it and I'm so close," Ginny said, looking at him now. She kissed him, breathing heavily into Harry's mouth. She ground her hips again as she clenched her internal muscles tightly around Harry, making him cry out as he came.

"Fuck!! Yes, Ginny, fuck, yes!" Harry screamed as he erupted in long, deep pulses into his wife. His hands clamped down on her hips and held her tightly to him.

"God, that's it, Harry. Yes!" Ginny screamed, coming, too. Her forehead pressed into Harry's and she held on as wave after wave flowed through her body. "Mmm…"

She collapsed against Harry's chest as the last spasm passed through her and her breathing slowly evened out.

After many minutes, Ginny climbed off of Harry's lap and laughed when he didn't move. He looked at her helplessly, and grinned.

"Gin," was all that Harry could mutter, a thin sheen of sweat still glistening on his skin. "I don't think I can move…"

Ginny chuckled, took Harry's hands and helped him to his feet. "Come on, baby, you need your rest. We have two whole days…"

Harry groaned, but grinned at the same time. "I have no idea how I'm going to survive this."

XXX

Harry woke the next day groggy from lack of sleep. He opened one eye and reached out his arm for Ginny, but she wasn't in bed.

"Gin?" he called. Then, he heard the water running in the bathroom, and he grinned. He turned over and grabbed his glasses from his bedside table, smiling as he thought about last night. He chuckled as he spotted the shredded remnants of Ginny's stockings and stepped over her hastily discarded shoes as he got out of bed and stretched his muscles.

He padded his way to the bathroom and creaked open the door, finding Ginny laid out in the bathtub with the water up to her neck and a gentle smile on her face. Hot swirls of steam were rising from the water and Harry approached her. She turned her head as she heard him, and smiled.

"Morning," Harry said as he sat on the edge of the tub, running his hands through Ginny's wet hair. She closed her eyes.

"Mmm…morning," she replied, sleepy but happy.

She caressed his thigh with her wet hand, water running from her arm down the side of the tub puddling on the floor next to Harry's foot. Ginny opened her eyes and saw her husband staring at her with a gleam in his eye and she smiled. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on Harry's lap. He threw his legs over the side of the tub, trapping Ginny in between them as she came up onto her knees.

She dipped her head and licked the inside of his thighs as Harry grabbed the sides of the tub and closed his eyes. He felt his dick becoming harder as she licked him and sucked in his breath as Ginny rubbed her cheek along his lengthening shaft again and again. God, he loved when she did that.

She held Harry's cock by the base and stroked him with her cheeks, occasionally placing a hot-breathed, open-mouthed kiss on his head, driving Harry slightly mad. He watched her closely as she seemed to get more and more aroused as she glided Harry's dick against her skin. She licked him from the base of his dick to the head, and Harry groaned loudly.

Ginny leaned forward and pressed Harry's cock between her breasts and moved up and down him slowly, closing her eyes. "Harry…you feel so good," she said softly.

"Ginny…fuck…" Harry said, looking down at her breasts surrounding him. "Jesus…that's incredible…" As she moved up and down him, Harry's hips seemed to thrust of their own accord. When she trailed her hard nipple up and down him, Harry snapped.

"Ginny, please…God!" he yelled. She smiled as she bent her head, taking in as much of Harry into her mouth as she could and swirled her tongue around him as she bobbed her head. "Ginny…Jesus…so…close…!" He thrust his hips up again and squeezed his eyes shut as he came into her mouth.

She moaned as he came, licking him everywhere. She laid her head on his thigh and he ran his fingers through her wet hair as he worked on bringing his heart rate back to normal. She held him, her hands running down his back to his ass and back up again. "Love you," she whispered.

"Lean up a bit," Harry said and Ginny scooted forward so that he could slip behind her. She relaxed back against Harry's chest, and he folded his arms around her, securing her to him. They floated there in the warm water for a few minutes before Harry reached for the shampoo on the edge of the tub. He put a few drops into his palm, and began working it through Ginny's long, thick hair.

"Mmm…nice," Ginny said softly. She sat up a little, giving Harry better access and he massaged her scalp as he cleaned her hair, running his fingers through the long strands again and again. She dunked her head under the water to rinse out the soap.

He leaned down and kissed her shoulder, still working his fingers through her hair. "I love you, Ginny," he whispered into her ear. "You are the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen."

She smiled and turned herself over, stretching her body to fit tightly to Harry's. "I happen to love you, too, Harry." She slithered up Harry's body until her mouth was level with Harry's ear, and she began licking it and sucking the lobe into her mouth. "Love you," she whispered. She kissed his neck and stubbly chin - she kissed down to his adam's apple and across his collar bones. Ginny gripped Harry's strong shoulders and then ran her hands slowly down his arms.

"So beautiful," she whispered. She brought her knees up to either side of Harry's hips so that she was straddling him. Harry sat up straighter in the tub and pulled her hips to him, holding her closer. He ran his hands down her sides and back coming to rest on her ass cheeks. He caressed them slowly, Ginny's head resting on his shoulder – kissing him repeatedly there – her breathing becoming heavier.

"I want you," she said into his ear and raised her hips for him. Harry reached between them, grasping his hard shaft in his right hand, finding Ginny's opening with his left. He ran his fingers up and down her slit, dipping his fingers into her core again and again, making Ginny moan into his ear. The sound of her panting and moaning so close to his ear was making Harry crazy.

"You want me?" he asked. Ginny moaned and nodded into his shoulder.

"Tell me," Harry said.

"I want you, Harry. I need to feel you inside of me, right now. Please, now," she answered, breathing into his ear. And, in a voice so low Harry couldn't be completely sure that he had heard anything at all, she said, "Fuck me, Harry."

He couldn't wait any longer and he entered Ginny, nearly coming immediately at the intimate contact. She moaned again loudly, cursing as well, making Harry smile as he sucked in his breath.

Ginny didn't move for a minute, just enjoying the feeling of Harry's dick filling her so completely.

Her breathing heavier then before, Ginny licked Harry's ear again. "Mmm…" she moaned, "You feel so fucking good, Harry."

She sat back from him a little then, and began moving, riding Harry slowly, feeling every inch of him moving in and out of her. Her nails traced circles around Harry's chest, raking over his nipples as they went. Harry shivered, trying to move his hips, to enter her faster and deeper, but she stilled him – she wanted it her way. She wouldn't have it quickly this time.

"Ginny," Harry managed to gasp. "I…oh, God…I can't…"

"Hold on, baby…" Ginny whispered. "I want us to enjoy this. I can _feel_ you, every single inch of you, and you feel so good." She raised her hips again and slowly sank down onto Harry, looking down at her husband. His hands were on her hips, letting her set the pace, trying to hold on, trying not to come.

One thing was for certain – Harry couldn't look at Ginny. If he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful breasts in front of him, or saw her hips rising and lowering herself onto his dick, he wouldn't be able to last – he would come right there – he knew it.

Harry kept his eyes tightly shut, his head back - focusing on the feeling of the muscles in Ginny's vagina squeezing him every time she impaled herself on his cock. Sweet Jesus, there weren't any words to describe this feeling. The friction, the beautiful friction – he was able to feel every ridge inside of her.

"Harry…" she breathed again, leaning forward once again so she could speak right into his ear. "God, Harry, I'm so close…close…you're gonna make me come. Mmm…"

She began moving her hips a little faster, circling, gyrating on Harry. He sucked in his breath then, and opened his eyes just as Ginny raised her arms to run her hands through her hair. It was an image of Ginny that Harry would remember for the rest of his life. She was perfect.

"Fuck, Ginny," he said softly, leaning forward to flick his tongue across her nipple. "I'm not gonna last…I…oh, God, Gin…" He squeezed his eyes shut again, but thrust his hips up, meeting hers and they both gasped.

"Yeah...oh, God…Harry…again…one more time…" she said, moving her hips faster as well, meeting Harry's thrust for thrust until she couldn't take it anymore – she cried out. "Fuck, Harry!! Yes!" Her walls contracted around Harry.

Harry grunted loudly as he came, holding Ginny's hips tight his forehead coming to rest on her chest.

"I love you," Harry muttered, his arms pulling Ginny close. He turned his head to the side and listened to her heart beating, completely content.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm SO incredibly sorry for the very long wait in between chapters. I really don't have any excuses other than I think I might have found "the one..." so please forgive me. I present you with a nice, long chapter to try and make it up to you. Please review and tell me what you think!

**CP 15**

"So, what will we tell your family?" Harry asked, chuckling softly as he and his wife lie in bed on their last morning in London. "I'm sure that they'll ask us what we've done while we were in town."

Ginny turned to him and laughed, too. "Yeah, it might be a bit awkward to explain in detail all the different ways that we've loved each other over the past two days. But, I think that we know enough about London to lie effectively."

"I can't believe that we never left this hotel room," he said, still smiling. "We've spent most of our time in bed, and yet, I'm exhausted."

"We may have been in bed, but we definitely weren't sleeping, love," Ginny responded.

"So true. What do you reckon? We got about…what? Ten hours of sleep total?"

"Sounds about right. Why? Are you complaining?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Not in the least…" Harry said, smiling, leaning down to kiss Ginny for the millionth time in the past two days.

He paused for a few moments, holding Ginny close. "Gin, I'm sorry that we can't take a proper honeymoon right now. I hope you understand."

Ginny sighed into Harry's chest, then leaned up on one elbow to look at his face. "I know why, Harry, but I wish that this wasn't consuming you so much."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let it go. I have to find out who did this to your family – and I don't think that it would be safe to be traveling around just now. I want to keep you safe – until I find out who's responsible."

"You do realize that I am perfectly capable to protecting myself, right? That I don't _need_ the 'Chosen One' to be by my side in order to be safe?" she said, a spark of fire igniting in her eyes.

"Of course, I know you can, Ginny. I just want to be the one that keeps you safe. You're my responsibility now, just as I'm yours."

Ginny nodded her head, calming – this she could understand. She would do anything within her power to keep Harry safe from harm, so how could she fault him for feeling the same way about her?

"Okay, Harry," Ginny said, resigned. "But, I want to help you – I need to be involved."

Harry paused, not quite sure how to proceed without Ginny's ire flaring up. "Gin," he began. "I know I promised never to leave you behind again, but the thought of you in harm's way…of you being hurt…again…I just can't…" He couldn't finish his thought, shaking his head.

Ginny sat up fully, facing Harry, taking his face in her hands and making him look at her. "Think about this…" she said. "How would you feel if I was off to do something unknown, something dangerous…could you just let me go alone without coming with me? Could you stand to stay behind while I might be in peril?"

Harry was shaking his head vehemently before she even finished. "No…stop, Gin. I can't even think about that," he finished, looking pained.

Ginny gave Harry a knowing grin. "Exactly That's what I'm saying, Harry. You can't expect me to stay behind when your life may be in danger. How can I do that knowing that it may be the last time I see you alive, that I may have been able to help you? To protect and to honor, in good times and in bad, love – you promised…remember?"

Harry nodded, defeated. He took a moment to collect himself and said softly, "Gin, you have to promise me that you will keep yourself as safe as possible, no matter what. I couldn't…live…through losing you."

Harry looked into Ginny's eyes then, and she saw the depth of his love, that he meant to his core every word he was saying. He wasn't just being overprotective, he _loved_ her that deeply.

Ginny nodded, "I promise…but you have to promise me the same thing, Harry. Do you think that I could bear to lose you, either?" Tears glistened in her eyes then.

He nodded again. "I promise."

XXX

The pair apparated back to Grimmauld Place and were met with an empty house. "Anyone here?" Harry called out as he made his way through the sitting room into the hallway.

"Master has returned," Kreacher said as he passed through the kitchen doorway. "And Mistress…" Kreacher bowed to them.

"Where are the Weasley's, Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"They have all gone to the Burrow. The furniture will arrive today, and Molly Weasley wanted to make sure that everything was placed properly. The elder Weasley's said that they would return for dinner."

"Perfect - thank you," Harry said. He followed Ginny up the stairs and looked into Sirius' bedroom and found that all of the Weasley's belongings had been packed up and taken to the Burrow.

Harry turned to his wife and took her in his arms. "Welcome home, love, officially." He bent his head to press his lips to hers.

She drew him close to her, "Thank you – and we'll never have to be apart again."

Harry was shaking his head, "Never."

XXX

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley returned to Grimmauld Place that evening gushing about the new Burrow, telling Harry and Ginny all about the new furnishings and asking them in detail about their time in London.

Harry let Ginny field most of the questions about London; he held her hand and smiled at her as she answered them.

The Weasley's moved the last of their things back to the Burrow that evening, and Harry and Ginny found themselves quite alone in the old house.

"It's so quiet now," Ginny said, looking around. "Just us…"

"Mmm-Hmm…" Harry answered, moving closer to her. Ginny smiled as Harry reached her and brought his hands up to her hair. He ran his fingers through the long, thick strands again and again, causing chills to run down Ginny's spine and her eyes to close – luxuriating in the sensations.

"Harry…" she whispered, her nipples puckering automatically, as she leaned her head back into his hands. "Love you."

Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss Ginny's neck, inhaling her sweet aroma as he did. "Ginny," he said. "I…need you." He lifted her arms over her head and peeled her shirt off. He popped the button on her jeans, and slid them down her hips and past her knees until she could kick them off of her feet.

Ginny's breathing was ragged by the time Harry was done, and she took her time undoing the buttons of his shirt, kissing his skin as it was exposed. She pulled the hem of his shirt from his jeans and tossed it to the floor. She ran her fingers through the dark curly hair on his chest and smiled as goose bumps erupted on his skin.

She traced the firm muscles of his arms with her fingers and reached up to kiss Harry's thick neck and suck the lobe of his ear into her mouth. Ginny was sure that she would never, ever, tire of touching Harry. Every inch of his body was a miracle to her, and he could excite her with just a glance – something that no one else in her life had ever done.

She reached for the button on his jeans, but Harry shook his head. Ginny frowned until he kissed her, lead her to the couch and sat her down. He fell to his knees in between her thighs, and smiled up at her.

"I love you, Gin," he whispered.

"Show me," she countered and smirked at him playfully, throwing one of her legs over Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled wide and proceeded to do just that for the rest of the night.

XXX

"Hermione, how would you feel about calling another DA meeting?" Harry asked her a couple of days later. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply at his suggestion.

"What are you getting at?" Hermione asked, her voice rising slightly.

"Be interesting to see who shows, wouldn't it?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"And just who do you think still looks at those coins regularly, Harry? It's been over three years since the DA last met."

Harry grimaced and shrugged his shoulders, glad that he and Hermione were alone for this discussion. He sat forward in his chair, his knees nearly touching Hermione's.

"I just have this bad feeling, Hermione," he whispered to her. "I know it – the fire has something to do with the DA, or more accurately with one of its members. Hermione, you know that my hunches are usually good – you have to trust me on this." He was right, sometimes he was way off, but for the most part Harry's instincts were usually spot on.

"Okay, Harry," she began, her voice low as well. "Let's say you're right. What do we do from here? How do we investigate this?"

"Quietly," was Harry's reply. "We do a lot of undercover work, beginning with writing out a list of DA members."

"That's easy – I have a copy of the parchment that everyone signed in my flat."

"Excellent," Harry said, sitting closer. "Then we go over the list with a fine-toothed comb. We methodically run through every member, write down everything we know about them and any possible motives, no matter how idiotic."

"Okay," Hermione agreed, picking at her cuticles absentmindedly. She was startled when Ron walked in with Ginny, a scowl overtaking his features. Harry sat back again.

"What's going on?" Ron inquired, polishing off the last remnants of a bag of crisps.

"Just brainstorming about the fire again," Harry answered in a low voice. Ginny sighed as she came to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"What's new, then?" she asked, looking from Harry to Hermione.

"Nothing, really," Harry answered her. He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his rumpled hair. "But, I think it has something to do with a DA member. I just have this gut-wrenching feeling that I'm right about this."

Ginny looked down at their hands. "I guess I just don't want to believe that any of our friends would be capable of doing something like this. But, let's go with your gut, Harry. What do we do now?"

"Hermione is going to bring over the list of DA members and we're going to go through it very carefully."

"Let me pop home now and get the list. I'll be back in a minute," Hermione said, turning on the spot.

She was back a few minutes later, and the foursome sat around the kitchen table going over the list. Hermione took it upon herself to take notes about each person that they discussed.

"Okay," Hermione began. "We can eliminate a few people right from the start. We'll cross off Ginny, Harry, Ron, me and George. And, most likely, we can cross off Luna, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Angelina, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Ernie MacMillan and Neville. Are we in agreement there?" They all nodded. Hermione continued, "That still leaves us a few people. Let's start with Hannah Abbott. What do we know?"

"Hufflepuff, in our year, seems nice enough, dating Neville, her Mum was killed by Death Eaters," Harry started.

"She did wear a 'Support Cedric Diggory' button fourth year," added Ginny, smiling a little. "A little spotty intellectually, don't you think?" Everyone stared at her, so Ginny continued. "Well, I just mean that she did kind of lose it when studying for her OWL's and she thought that Sirius could transform himself into a shrub…"

Harry chuckled, and Ron said, "I don't know what kind of motive she'd have, though?"

"Dunno," Harry agreed. "Who's next on the list?"

"Dennis Creevey," Hermione said.

Harry looked down at the mention of Dennis, which reminded him of Colin. This task was going to be much harder then he thought. Harry shook his head. "I don't think that Dennis has it in him," Harry said softly.

Hermione took a moment to really peruse the list. The corners of her mouth turned down as she scanned the parchment.

"Who?" asked Ginny, reading Hermione's face.

Hermione looked very reluctant to say the name out loud, that somehow it would make him guilty. "Seamus," she squeaked out.

Harry's eyebrows lifted. He had never thought about Seamus "Possibly, although I think that his problem was more with me then with any of the Weasley's. We seemed to get along fine at the end there, though. I don't know."

Ron was nodding. "Yeah, but he didn't make it a secret that he thought you were lying about You-Know-Who being back, did he?"

"But, then he joined the DA and everything seemed to be okay," added Ginny.

"Keep him as a possibility then, I guess," Harry conceded. "Who's next?"

"Katie Bell…" Hermione said.

"Hmm…" started Ron. "Cursed by Malfoy, played for our Quidditch team, good spell caster."

"But, again, no motive that I can think of," said Ginny, looking around to each of them. They all shook their heads in agreement.

"Dean Thomas," Hermione said, reading from her list. They all turned to Ginny.

"Umm…okay. In your year, played on the Quidditch team, Mum's a muggle, his real father was a wizard who was killed by the Death Eaters, friends with Seamus but sided with Harry and believed that he was telling the truth about Voldemort…" Ginny finished.

When they continued to stare at her without speaking, Ginny grew angry and she raised her eyebrows in question.

"What? Do you want me to tell you about his kissing technique or what we did in the Charms classroom once?"

Harry's grasp on her hand tightened, and then he released it. She turned to him and stared, her eyes narrowing menacingly.

"No, definitely not," said Ron, looking slightly sick. "Any motive that you know of?" he asked.

She shook her head, upset now. "No, we didn't end well, and we haven't spoken since, but I can't see him doing anything like this."

"Next," Harry said stoically.

"Susan Bones," Hermione read, eager to move on.

"Quiet, helpful in the DA meetings, never had any issues with any of us as far as I can remember," Ron said.

"I can't think of a motive," Hermione said as Ron nodded, agreeing with her. "The Patil sisters?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and smirked.

"Shall I grill you two about them, since you took them to the Yule Ball?" Ginny asked, her eyes blazing again. "Stupid idiotic gits."

They must have looked suitable abashed, because Ginny's focus returned to Hermione a moment later. "Next?" she asked, a bit impatiently.

"Zacharias Smith," Hermione said.

"Now, there's a bloke with a chip on his shoulder," Ron said. "Hufflepuff, gave Harry a bit of a hard time when the DA first started, seemed to come around after a while."

"We were never really friendly, he's a bit annoying but we didn't really argue or anything," Harry said, looking around.

"He was a little combative at the beginning, but he seemed alright," Hermione agreed. "I'll keep him on the list, though."

"Who's left?" Harry asked, growing weary now. Hermione sighed.

"Lavender Brown," she said, shooting a ferocious look at Ron, who had the good grace to look sheepish. "Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, Michael Corner and Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"Wow! Way to go leaving the best for last," Ginny said. "Shall we take Cho first?" she asked, looking at Harry, daring him to say something about her.

He glanced back at Ginny, not amused. "Let's be realistic everyone. Really, let's go through the list and narrow it down to probable people." Harry took the parchment from Hermione. "I think," he began, raising the quill. "Seamus, possibly Justin, Marietta, Zacharias Smith, Michael Corner and Dean Thomas."

"Why Michael and Dean?" asked Ginny.

"Jealousy?" Harry offered.

"Why isn't Cho on the list then?" she asked heatedly. Harry looked at her like she had gone mad. Ginny continued, "Maybe she's jealous of me for having you." Harry raised his eyebrows once again, but didn't look convinced.

"Maybe," he finally conceded, looking to Hermione and Ron for support but finding none. "Then, we have to keep Lavender as well?" he asked with a hint of mocking in his voice and he glanced at Ron.

Ginny stared at Harry with open hostility. "Is this going to be our first fight? Really? Over these people?" Ginny asked, very agitated now, shooting sparks at Harry.

He smirked a little and took Ginny's hand. "No," he said softly. She moved her hand swiftly out of his and folded it to her chest and rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine," Harry said softly. "Look, let's all relax a minute. Who do you really think could have done it?" Harry looked around at all of them.

Hermione said, "My first thought would be either Seamus or Zacharias. I can't see a real motive for anyone else."

"I think Zacharias or Justin," said Ron.

"Cho or Seamus," Ginny said, meeting Harry's eyes and daring him to contradict her. Harry glared at her again.

"For me, the frontrunners are Dean and Seamus, I guess," Harry said softly. Ginny shook her head, unable to believe what he was saying. "Okay, then our next steps should be to visit them, see what they're up to. What do you think?"

Hermione and Ron nodded their heads. Ginny refused to acknowledge that Harry had spoken.

"Ron and Hermione, you take Zacharias, Seamus and Michael. Ginny and I will take Justin, Cho and Dean. Agreed?" Hermione and Ron nodded again.

The pair got up soon after and flooed to Hermione's flat to plan their strategy.

Ginny rose without a word, and went upstairs to their bedroom and slammed the door.


	16. Chapter 16

**CP 16**

Harry sighed and climbed the stairs – he knew that this was not going to be an easy conversation. He knocked on the bedroom door and entered without waiting for Ginny's reply. The room was dark, the drapes drawn. Ginny was sitting on their bed glaring at him.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Seriously?" she said, standing, he eyes blazing again. "You're going to stand there and pretend that you don't know why I'm upset, Harry? That's ridiculous. Why would you assume that Dean was a suspect just because I dated him, and then dismiss Cho so casually? Then, to smirk at me like that and be so condescending? I can't believe that was you."

She turned her back on him and crossed the room to the windows, parting the drapes and looking outside at the damp, grey day. She grimaced at the thought that the weather reflected her current mood perfectly.

Harry crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair. She tried to move away, but he held her tighter.

"Don't…don't go. I'm sorry, Gin. I didn't mean to belittle you, especially in front of others. I didn't realize…" Harry paused and exhaled, closing his eyes. "I do, _really_ do, value your opinion." Harry rocked her a little from side to side, letting his apology seep in. Ginny sighed and sank back against him and he tightened his hold, folding his hands over hers on her stomach.

Harry continued softly. "With Cho, it couldn't have been jealousy. I didn't spend enough time with Cho for her to feel anything for me, really. You and Dean were together for months - I think he sort of loved you. I never had anything like that with Cho. We kissed a couple of times and held hands – hardly enough fodder for anything serious. That's all I meant."

Ginny turned in his arms and laid her head against Harry's chest, shaking it at the same time.

"You really don't get it, do you?" she asked softly, her anger dissipating.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Harry, you are…an amazing man. You really have no idea how completely wonderful you are, do you?" Ginny exhaled and looked up into Harry's eyes and saw confusion and bewilderment. She smiled a little and continued,

"I hadn't known you ten minutes before I was completely wrapped up in you, and you think that Cho couldn't feel anything for you after the short amount of time you spent with her? You are mistaken, my love. What I can't understand is how she let you go so easily. I would have been holding on to you by my fingernails."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Ginny. If he lived to be one hundred, he knew that he would never get used to her talking to him like that – complimenting him. Once one gets used to being verbally abused day after day for years at a time, it's much too easy to discount compliments when they come your way. Growing up with the Dursley's, Harry had endured countless hours of belittlement and being beaten down time and again, literally and figuratively.

And that's just what Harry had done to Ginny today.

Thinking about the Dursley's made Harry realize how badly he had behaved today, how badly he had made Ginny feel, and he was ashamed. He was no better then them.

He pulled her to him as tightly as he could and whispered in her ear.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing, how I was making you feel. All of my life I've lived with being made to feel like I was worthless, and I was doing the same thing to you. I guess that I don't really know how to be any other way…"

Ginny pulled away from him and shook her head. She put her hands to Harry's face, making him look in her eyes.

"No, Harry, you're wrong. That's just it. It's amazing to me that you're _not_ like that. Despite growing up with the Dursley's, you are incredibly giving and caring and sweet. You get that from your parents, baby, not from them."

"But, today…" Harry began, shaking his head. "I was actually _mean_ to you, Gin. I dismissed your feelings and I didn't even know that I was doing it. I'm sorry."

"I know, it's okay, Harry. I'm sorry, too, for overreacting about Michael and Dean. I should have stayed and listened to why you felt that they were a threat instead of being defensive and running away from you like a child. I guess we have to learn how to fight fair with each other, huh?"

"Just learn how to listen better, I think," Harry said. "I'm sorry, and I love you."

"Me, too."

After a minute of holding each other, Ginny said, "Do you really think it could be Michael or Dean?"

"Dunno," said Harry. "We'll just have to observe them and see what we find…and we start tomorrow."

"Are we splitting up and covering more ground?" Ginny asked.

"No, I think we should stay together for the time being. Two sets of eyes will be better then one, and you may catch something that I miss, or vice versa," Harry said.

"Okay, but that's tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah…" said Harry, smiling.

"Then we get to make up tonight?" Ginny asked, nuzzling Harry's neck.

"Definitely," he whispered and carried his wife to their bed.

XXX

"Okay, are you ready?" Harry asked Ginny as they crossed the narrow London side street. Ginny nodded in return and stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Sure, but I think this is a mistake, Harry. I think that you'd get more information from her if you were alone. She's not going to feel free to talk to you if I'm there with you."

Harry pondered this for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe it would be better for _you_ to see her alone. Gauge her reaction to the news that we're married? If she's angry about it, she'd more likely show that anger to you then to me."

"Yeah," Ginny said, nodding. "Good. Will you be close by?"

"Of course. I assume she would be leaving for work shortly. So, I'll be under the cloak," Harry said. "I'll follow you as you talk to her."

Ginny nodded again as Harry looked around then slipped on the cloak. He kept close behind her as Ginny kept her eyes on the door to Cho's walk up.

When the door creaked open several minutes later, Ginny began striding down the street slowly. Cho exited the building and turned left, heading towards the underground entrance.

"Cho?" Ginny called, trying to act surprised to see her. Cho spun around, her surprise to see Ginny genuine.

"Ginny, hi! What are you doing in this part of London?" Cho asked, turning back and continuing to walk as Ginny caught up with her and kept pace.

"Oh, I heard about this great little boutique that I wanted to check out, but I got here a little early and it hasn't opened yet, so I was just wasting some time. How are you? It's been a long time."

"Yes," Cho said. "A long time. I'm doing fine, and you?" Cho asked distractedly, as she checked her watch and increased her pace.

"Wonderful!" Ginny gushed. "I don't know if you've heard, but Harry and I got married!"

Cho stopped walking abruptly then and turned to look at Ginny. Harry nearly plowed into Ginny as she stopped short, thankfully catching himself just in time.

Cho's face had paled and she looked down at Ginny's hand, noticing her rings for the first time. Cho reached out and took Ginny's hand, bringing it up close to her face, inspecting Ginny's rings closely.

After a minute, Cho looked up, her eyes looking a bit watery and released Ginny's hand.

"Wow," she said in a small voice. "Congratulations, Ginny. Harry's wonderful, and I'm really glad that he's happy now." Cho exhaled and smiled a little. "I never got to tell him how sorry I was about the way I behaved when we were together, or how sorry I was about Marietta turning on the DA. I feel like it all happened so quickly and then he was gone from my life."

Cho looked into Ginny's eyes and gave her a sad kind of smile. "But, I'm so glad he has you, Ginny. Everyone could tell when you were together at Hogwarts that he was happy. It was nice to see. Really, congratulations to you both. I wish you very happy."

Cho reached out her arms to Ginny and Ginny returned her hug, stunned into silence.

"Thank you, Cho," Ginny finally managed.

"I've got to go, I'm going to be late for work. It was so nice to see you again, Ginny. Please give Harry my congratulations as well."

"Of course. Bye, Cho." They smiled at each other, and Cho turned, heading for the underground once more- her head down, her step a little slower.

Ginny watched her disappear down the stairs and turned to Harry. He removed the cloak and looked as shocked as Ginny felt.

"Well," he said. "That was interesting."

"Yeah, I think we can safely cross Cho off the list. It didn't look like she had any clue about our wedding, and her congratulations seemed sincere, didn't you think?"

"Yeah," said Harry, taking Ginny's hand and ducking down a side street so that they could disapparate. "Let's go home."

Ginny nodded and held Harry tight as he spun on the spot and took them home.

XXX

"Well, Zacharias seemed to be fine. We talked to him today and he didn't seem to care a whit about what you were up to, Harry. We told him about your wedding to Ginny, and he really didn't even seem to remember her from the DA!" Hermione reported. "What did you find out about Cho?" she asked nervously, hating to bring up the subject of their exes again.

"Cho seemed genuinely happy for us," Ginny began. "Harry hid under the cloak, thinking that she would show anger more easily if it was just me, but she was okay with it. I think the news of our marriage sort of shocked her, but she didn't get angry about it, just seemed kind of sad."

"Okay, well that's two people to cross off, and three to go," Ron said.

The foursome were sitting around the kitchen table again, enjoying Kreacher's cooking as they talked.

"Tomorrow we'll take on the rest, then. Ginny, how about we see Dean, since our plan worked so well this morning. You can hide under the cloak while I talk to him," Harry suggested.

"Okay," she agreed readily.

"Then, we'll take Seamus and Justin," said Hermione, and Ron nodded in agreement, his mouth too full to reply.

XXX

Harry sat seemingly alone at an outdoor café the next morning. He had coffee and the morning paper on the table and pretended to be engrossed in the headlines as he spoke softly with Ginny.

She was hidden under the invisibility cloak and sat next to him at the table as they waited. Dean lived in a small town on the outskirts of the west end of London. It took twenty minutes for the couple to catch sight of him, and Ginny gently prodded Harry's knee so that he would look up.

Harry waited until Dean had nearly passed his table before he spoke.

"Dean?" he said, acting surprised as he rose from the table.

Dean stopped abruptly when he heard his voice. Dean recognized that voice instantly – and he turned slowly. A strange flash of something crossed his features as he looked at Harry, but he smoothed out his face instantly.

"Harry," he said. "This is a surprise."

Harry approached his former dorm mate with his hand extended and Dean shook it without much enthusiasm.

"What brings you down here?" Dean asked.

"I'm meeting Ginny at an antique store around the corner. She wants to find a couple of lamps for home."

Harry's plan worked. He noticed a small flicker of pain flash across Dean's face before it was gone.

"How are things with you? I haven't seen you for ages." Harry said as he studied Dean's face.

"Good," he replied smoothly. "Working a lot, not much else."

"Have you seen anyone from school? I feel like I've been so out of touch lately! I've spent so much time at the Burrow this summer, then we fixed up Grimmauld Place a little so that Ginny and I could live there. Did you hear about what happened at the Burrow?" Harry asked, wanting it to sound like an innocent question.

Dean nodded. "I saw Seamus and he told me. Shame. But, he said that everyone was alright, yeah?"

"Yeah, thankfully. Ginny was pretty badly hurt, but she's recovered."

"Good, that's good," Dean said. "Seamus told me about your wedding, too, congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks. Ginny's pretty amazing – but, then again, you already know that!"

Dean scowled a little at Harry and murmured, "Yeah, I guess I do. Well, I've got to be off, Harry. Good seeing you."

"Good seeing you, Dean. I'll give Ginny your best, shall I?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Dean replied and shuffled off down the sidewalk. Harry smiled as he returned to the table where Ginny was waiting.

"Well, love," Harry said softly as he sat back down, "it looks like someone isn't quite over you yet. I think we have our first real lead."


	17. Chapter 17

**Cp 17**

Hermione stared at Harry and Ginny, the furrow between her eyes deepening with every word they spoke. It couldn't be, could it? Dean?

After Hermione and Ron reported back to Ginny and Harry that they had seen Seamus and Justin and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, they had been flabbergasted to hear about the couple's encounter with Dean.

"It's just…extraordinary," Hermione said, stunned. "I don't quite know what to say."

"Well, nothing's for sure, and we may just be jumping to conclusions, but it was definitely a strange reaction for him to have, don't you think?" Ginny asked.

Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement, concern crossing their features. "What do we do now?" Ron asked.

"That's the problem," Harry said, looking at the three of them. "I'm at a loss. How do we find out for sure? There's no real evidence left at the Burrow, all we have is this coin, and we don't even know if it was left by the arsonist."

"And trying to find out if magic had been performed there recently is a moot point as well," Hermione continued. "More magic has been used at the Burrow then anywhere else I know of, besides Hogwarts!"

"There has to be a way…a spell…something!" Ron said, getting up and beginning to pace the room.

The four of them were silent, contemplating their next step.

"There's only one real way to know for sure…" Ginny started and looked at the floor for a moment before meeting Harry's confused eyes.

"Go on," he said cautiously.

"Me," Ginny said simply. "I'll be the bait."

Harry was on his feet in an instant and staring hard at Ginny, uncomprehending. "If you think for a moment that I'm going to let you meet Dean alone, you're mad, Gin. Do you hear me?"

"It's the only way," Ginny replied, rising to her feet as well, and running her hand down Harry's arm in an effort to calm him down. "You know I'm right, Harry. We need a confession."

Harry looked from Hermione to Ron and back again, hoping to find some semblance of reason, but they looked as though they agreed with Ginny.

"It may be the only way we have to find out for sure, Harry," Hermione said quietly.

"It's true, mate. Who else but the Ginny would be able to get the truth out of him? And, she knows him better then any of us," Ron concluded.

"There's absolutely no way that I will let this happen! No way!" Harry nearly screamed. He turned to Ginny and took her hands in his, frantic for her to see reason. "Ginny, please…I nearly lost you once…I…can't do that again."

"I'll be fine, Harry. You'll be there with me – under the invisibility cloak. I won't go alone, I promise."

Harry looked at Ginny, and pain flickered across his features as he remembered her lying in the hospital bed burned and covered with bandages. Ginny brought her hand to his face and smoothed out the crease between his eyebrows and smiled at him.

"I'll be okay, Harry. You'll be with me," she said confidently.

He nodded, but worry still lived in his eyes. "I don't like it." He looked from Ron to Hermione again. "You two will be there as well, just in case. I…need…" Harry was unable to finish his thought as he shook his head.

"Of course we will," Hermione said. "We won't allow anything to happen to Ginny, Harry."

"Of course not," Ron agreed, grabbing Harry by the shoulder. "She's a pain in the arse, but she's still my sister."

Ginny and Hermione chuckled at Ron's attempt to lighten the mood, but Harry's features remained sober as visions of Ginny in pain flashed through his mind.

XXX

Two weeks passed since Harry had met Dean in the street. Time enough, Harry hoped, for Dean not to be suspicious of Ginny showing up at his flat today. In the end, they decided that Ginny and Harry should go to Dean's alone for the first time and gather a little more information before any further decisions were made.

Harry and Ginny stood in the middle of their living room, their arms around each other and Harry looked down into Ginny's eyes.

"Are you ready?" he asked her softly. She nodded minutely, and he turned them on the spot.

Harry followed Ginny up the stairs hidden beneath his invisibility cloak, his hand on the small of her back, supporting her wordlessly as she made her way up the last few stairs.

"I love you and I'll be right here," he whispered to her as she stopped in front of the door. Ginny nodded her head slightly to let Harry know that she had heard him, then she took a deep breath, raised her hand and knocked.

The knock sounded like a clap of thunder echoing down the deserted hallway and it startled Ginny as she pulled her hand away quickly. She heard the footsteps coming and took one deep breath as the door was wrenched open. There stood Dean, tall and muscular and nearly filling the entire width of the doorway.

"Ginny!" he said, surprised. "Wow, it's good to see you. How are you?"

"Not so good, Dean," Ginny said as she pretended to be upset and she cast her eyes downward. "Would you mind if I came in for a bit? I just need…to talk to someone."

Dean moved aside. "Of course, come in." He waved her in, and Harry stayed pressed close to Ginny's back as she slid inside and Dean closed the door securely behind her.

"Can I get you some tea? Butterbeer?" Dean asked.

"Tea please, Dean, thank you," Ginny replied and sat gingerly on the sofa.

Harry followed Dean into the kitchen, taking the opportunity to look around the apartment for anything suspicious. The kitchen was small and dingy, and could do with a fair cleaning. Harry couldn't help but think of how Mrs. Weasley was desperately needed here.

Dean poured two cups of steaming tea, and a small grin crossed his face as he left the kitchen and brought them back into the living room as he sat down beside Ginny.

"Tell me what's wrong, Gin," he said, eyeing Ginny closely.

Ginny, playing her part well, dabbed at her eyes and said in a shaky voice, "It's Harry, Dean," Ginny said, exhaling loudly. She looked Dean square in the eye, "I think I've made a huge mistake."

Dean's eyes gleamed momentarily before he shifted closer to Ginny. He wrapped his arm around her and Ginny allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace. The sight of this nearly caused Harry to jump over the sofa and hex Dean, but he managed to control himself before he gave away his presence.

Harry walked slowly around the sofa and stood mere inches from Ginny's side, his hands grasping his wand hard. He breathed in deep and laid the tips of two of his fingers gently against Ginny's cheek, letting her know he was still there for her. She turned her head into his touch for a moment, then looked up into Dean's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, trying to make the question sound innocent.

"We've been married for nearly a month, and I've never been more miserable in my life," Ginny said softly, silent tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't believe that I never realized it, but Harry's the most self-centered person I've ever met. He's completely focused on himself and his own gratification and completely disregards the feelings of everyone around him. I may as well be alone. And, if it's this bad now when we're newlyweds, what's it going to be like in five years or ten or twenty?"

She sighed and nuzzled closer to Dean, allowing herself to be pulled more deeply into his arms, and he wrapped both around her, pulling her as close as he dared.

"I'm sorry it's not what you imagined, Ginny. But, I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you," Dean whispered, turning his face into her hair and breathing deeply. "We always had such a good time together."

"I know. My feelings for Harry got in our way, and now…" Ginny paused for effect, "I realize that you may be the best thing that ever happened to me."

Dean exhaled and smiled. "I've been dreaming about this, Gin. Holding you again, you saying these things to me…I've missed you." Dean leaned in and kissed Ginny softly on the top of her head.

Harry's anger surged and he moved closer to Ginny, until she could feel the heat from his body. She held out a hand to stop him, to let Harry know that she knew what she was doing, then she tipped her face up to Dean's and kissed him.

XXX

Twenty minutes later, Harry followed Ginny down the steps of Dean's apartment building, practically stepping on the back of her feet as she exited and turned the corner.

Harry grabbed Ginny's hand without saying a word to her and immediately twisted to the right, apparating them directly into their bedroom at Grimmauld Place.

"What the hell was that?" Harry raged at her, tearing the cloak from him and tossing it across the room.

"Harry, calm down…" Ginny pleaded, edging her way into his arms so that she could hold him. "Everything worked out great – look how much we learned!"

"You had to _kiss_ him? That overgrown idiot?" Harry scuttled out of her reach and paced the room as Ginny settled herself on their bed. "How could you do it?"

"I was just trying to get information, Harry. Trying to gauge his reactions, that kind of thing…" Ginny said and watched her husband pace, his face tight.

Harry looked at her and kept walking. "You said…said you'd never kiss another man, and at the first chance…the very first opportunity…" Harry's voice slipped. Ginny was off the bed in an instant and in Harry's face, her eyes blazing.

"And you think that I wanted that? That I want anyone else but you?" She screamed at him and turned away, unable to be close to him at that moment. "I was doing that for us, Harry – for you! So that you could finally let this whole thing go! So that you could put the fire behind you - so that we could start to live again! And you think…" Ginny paused and shook her head. "You think what? That I _enjoyed _that? That I couldn't wait to kiss Dean again?

Her eyes blazed as she stood there staring at him as he continued to pace. Harry finally stopped and bowed his head, shaking it and raking his hand through his hair furiously.

"Aaah!" Harry screamed, and turned to Ginny. "What the hell am I doing? I feel crazy – this situation is literally driving me insane!" Harry huffed and slowed to a stop. "I'm sorry, I'm just so frustrated, and seeing you kiss him made my blood boil. I can't handle the thought of anyone else being that close to you."

Ginny approached Harry who met her halfway and brought her into his arms. "I love you, Gin," Harry said, kissing the top of her head, "I always will."

She nodded. "I love you, too, Harry. It's okay. The question is, what do we do now about Dean? How do we get him to confess, if it was even him?"

Harry sighed, defeated, "I don't know."


	18. Chapter 18

**Cp 18**

Ron and Hermione heard Harry and Ginny apparate into their bedroom twenty minutes ago and were on their way up to their room when the shouting began. Hermione stopped short on the staircase and Ron bumped into her back. She turned and pointed back downstairs, and Ron complied, finally understanding.

"I guess it didn't go well…" Hermione surmised, looking nervously around the living room. "Do you think we should leave and come back later?"

Ron shook his head and sat down, switching on the telly. "Nah, they'll work it out."

When Harry and Ginny appeared ten minutes later holding hands, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and settled back to hear the story of what had happened with Dean. She was horrified to think that someone that had been a part of Dumbledore's Army could possibly have done this.

"The prick!" Ron exclaimed when Harry finished the story. "I always knew there was something about him – something not right. Beady eyes and a smart mouth, that's what he has!"

Despite himself, Harry smiled at Ron's remark. It was good that someone was almost as angry about the situation as he was.

"Well, Dean and I made plans to meet tomorrow morning in the park by Kensington, so it's do or die time!" Ginny said, laughing.

"Funny," Harry deadpanned, not cracking a bit of a smile at all.

"Harry, she'll be fine, we'll all be right there," Hermione said, trying anything to soothe Harry a little. All he could do was nod, not quite believing that getting Dean to confess was going to be as easy as the three of them seemed to think it was going to be.

After Hermione and Ron flooed to her flat, Harry and Ginny went up to bed where Ginny turned on her side away from Harry and fell asleep instantly.

Harry rolled over and his hands started wandering over Ginny's back. He rubbed her shoulders and ran his fingers through her hair, feeling her unconsciously relax into a deep sleep.

"Rest, baby," Harry whispered, more to himself then to Ginny. He sighed. "When this is all over, I'm taking you away from here. We need to be alone, just you and me. A real vacation, Gin - the honeymoon that we never had."

Harry rolled onto his back and spent the remainder of the night deciding how best to tear Dean limb from limb with his bare hands.

xxx

The next morning Harry and Ron were in the kitchen finishing their coffee, waiting for Hermione and Ginny to come down from upstairs.

The more Harry thought of Ginny vulnerable in Dean's presence even for a second, the angrier he became. He was practically seething when he turned to Ron and spat out,

"Ron, I swear, if I find out for sure that it was Dean that tried to hurt Ginny, I'll kill him," Harry said in a whisper, his eyes as hard as steel.

Ron set down his spoon and stared at his best friend.

"I mean it," Harry continued, sitting back in his chair, his resolve never wavering. "I will dismember him slowly, and enjoy every second of it."

"Okay, mate, let's calm it down now," Ron said, trying not to picture his best friend killing anyone, and not wanting Hermione or Ginny to hear him. "Let's not do anything rash."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you _not _remember her lying in that hospital room covered in bandages, Ron? Burned over 80% of her body?" Harry shook his head and looked down. "I'll never forget it," he finished quietly.

"Of course, I remember, Harry," Ron said, his voice rising slightly. "And, trust me, I want justice as well. We just have to be sure before anything is done."

Harry agreed. He met Ron's eyes, the intensity of which matched his own, and he understood. A silent agreement passed between the men and they nodded.

The Polyjuice Potion that Hermione had been brewing for the past month was sitting on the table – two glasses standing by its side. Hermione and Ron would be changing their appearances into an elderly couple so that they could remain close to Ginny and Dean without looking out of place in the park. Harry would be by Ginny's side under his cloak.

Harry looked up as Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen and Hermione went straight to the pitcher of potion, pouring it in equal measure into the two glasses. She smiled at Ron as she added the hairs from the muggles she followed on the street yesterday and waited as the potion rolled and bubbled. She handed Ron his glass, he clinked his with hers and they drank deeply.

Five minutes later, the transformation complete, Hermione and Ron disapparated, going to the park first to find a place to watch and wait.

Ginny sat on Harry's lap, her arms around him and her face nuzzled into his neck.

"Baby, you don't have to do this if you're nervous. In fact, I'd feel much better if you didn't," Harry whispered into Ginny's ear, and she smiled and lifted her head to look at her husband.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but it'll be fine, Harry. You and Ron and Hermione will be right there with me. I'll be okay," she answered and kissed Harry. "I love you, Harry, so much."

Harry pulled her close. "Me, too, Ginny. I love you…"

Ginny pulled away and stood up. "Ready?"

Harry grimaced but got to his feet, taking Ginny in his arms. "Promise me you'll be careful…"

"Of course, I will, Harry. Let's go," Ginny said and they spun.

XXX

Apparently alone, Ginny walked into the gated park and looked around, spotting Ron and Hermione immediately. They were sitting on a bench, feeding the pigeons with their eyes trained closely on Ginny. As Ginny walked towards them Dean approached her from her left catching her attention as she was about to sit down on the bench next to her friends.

Dean took Ginny's hand and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, Gin," he said softly, leading her to a deserted bench mere feet from Ron and Hermione. "It's good to see you."

"You, too," Ginny replied and she sat.

"Don't you want to walk for a while?" Dean asked, remaining on his feet, but Ginny shook her head.

"Can we just sit for a minute? Look out on the water maybe?"

"Sure," Dean sat down beside Ginny and looked at her questioningly. "Are you feeling okay?"

Ginny nodded and gave him a weak smile, playing her part well. She smiled a little to herself as she saw two tiny, extendable ears sneaking their way across the small expanse of lawn separating the two benches, settling close to her feet. "I guess so. I'm just so tired, physically and emotionally."

"Emotionally I can understand, but what do you mean physically?" Dean asked.

Under his invisibility cloak, two feet from Ginny's side, Harry smiled. He could see exactly where she was going with this.

"Well," Ginny began. "Ever since the fire at the Burrow, I haven't been the same. It took me a long time to recover from the burns, especially. The doctors say that I'll never really recover all of my strength in my arms or legs."

Dean looked crushed at this bit of news. "Really? Wow, I'm sorry, Ginny. I never realized…"

Ginny turned to Dean and smiled a little. "No, of course not, how could you? But Dean…" Ginny hesitated.

Dean took her hand and, playing along again, Ginny winced slightly. "I'm sorry," he said and let her go. "It's painful, then?" Ginny nodded. "Sorry. What were you going to tell me?"

"Just that…the doctors said…" Ginny stopped and turned away.

"What?" Dean prodded.

"Children…I can't have…children," Ginny finished and put her head in her hands and cried. Hermione sat listening, very impressed with Ginny's performance.

"Because of the fire?" Dean asked incredulously and Ginny nodded.

"The fall. When the Burrow collapsed, I was making my way down the stairs, and they gave out from underneath me." Ginny looked at Dean, her eyes full of tears. "I never had a chance to live, Dean! The coward that started that fire has taken everything away from me…everything!"

"It's okay, Gin," Dean pulled her close without crushing her. Harry could see his face clearly, and Dean was worried. Harry gripped his wand a little tighter under the cloak.

"No, it's not!" Ginny pulled away, looking into Dean's eyes. "Can't you see? I'm not whole anymore. No babies, Dean. All I ever wanted was to be a mother…" Ginny's shoulders slumped and she allowed Dean to pull her into his arms again.

"I don't know…how this got so…out of hand. This wasn't supposed to happen. I never meant for this to happen…" Dean said quietly.

Ginny looked up slowly, "What do you mean, Dean? Didn't mean for what to happen?"

"This," he said, pointing at her. "Any of this. I never thought you'd be here with me again, Ginny."

"I don't understand, Dean. What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny. If I ever thought that there was a chance…for us again…I would never have…" Dean's voice trailed off and he looked away from Ginny. Her heart skipped a beat.


	19. Chapter 19

**Cp 19**

"_I don't know…how this got so…out of hand. This wasn't supposed to happen. I never meant for this to happen…" Dean said quietly._

_Ginny looked up slowly, "What do you mean, Dean? Didn't mean for what to happen?"_

"_This," he said, pointing at her. "Any of this. I never thought you'd be here with me again, Ginny."_

"_I don't understand, Dean. What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm sorry, Ginny. If I ever thought that there was a chance…for us again…I would never have…" Dean's voice trailed off and he looked away from Ginny. Her heart skipped a beat._

Harry placed his hand on Ginny's shoulder, his heart racing at what felt like a million beats per minute. They were so close! He grasped his wand tightly and tried to keep from hexing Dean into little tiny bits. _C'mon_, Harry thought, _just say it! Spit it out!_

"Ginny," Dean whispered, pulling her close again. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what you mean. What are you sorry for?" Ginny asked, holding her breath.

"I was angry, so…fucking angry. You with Harry, it just killed me inside. I love you so much, Ginny, and seeing you with him. I snapped."

Ginny was silent, holding Dean lightly around his waist, her face in his shoulder. She hoped that if she remained silent that he would continue, would want to get it all out. Her plan worked. A minute later, Dean sighed and continued on in a quiet voice,

"If I ever thought...had any _inkling_...that you would be here with me again someday…I never would have done it. I hated him for taking you away from me. I still hate him! You are mine, Ginny. We belong together."

"Do you mean the fire?" Ginny asked quietly, never meeting Dean's eyes. Dean nodded. "That was you?"

"Yes," he said softly. "I knew that I would never be able to get rid of Harry – he was always with Weasley or at his house, which is unplottable. Always surrounded by people – always protected. Poor Harry, people feeling so sorry for him. It had to be you – if you weren't going to be with me, then you weren't going to be with anyone."

She could feel the rage in Harry's fingers as he grasped her shoulder. He was shaking with it, and Ginny could only hope that Ron and Hermione would be able to stop him before he did anything rash. But, she was too late...

"You spineless, weak worm! How could you fucking do it? You almost killed her!" Harry snapped. In one fluid motion, Harry flung the invisibility cloak off of his back and screamed "Petrificus Totalus!" Dean became rigid and unable to move, his legs straight out in front of him. His eyes darted to Harry's enraged face and his eyes got very dark.

Dean flashed to Ginny's face and knew instantly that it had all been a hoax. She was in on it from the very beginning. She and Harry were still together, and she had betrayed him again. He seethed inside while he focused all of his strength on breaking the curse. Dean closed his eyes in concentration.

Hermione and Ron were on either side of Harry grabbing his arms and holding him back from Dean's still form.

Ginny sprung from her seat the instant the hex hit Dean, propelled towards Harry, stumbling in her haste.

"Okay, Harry, you got him. That was a great shot and now he can't hurt anyone anymore. It's over, Harry. Let's bind him and get him to the Ministry," Hermione suggested.

Ron tried to get Harry to move – to shake off the hatred that was poring from his body. Ron draped his arm over Harry's shoulders, talking softly. "It's alright, Mate. You did it, Harry, you caught him. That little worm won't be setting another fire for a long time."

"Ron, all I want to do is rip him apart so that he feels a fraction of the pain that I felt, that your whole family felt when he blew apart their home, and very nearly Ginny." Harry stopped and looked into Ron's face. "Ron, he almost killed her."

"I know, Harry, but it's over, it's all over." Ron turned himself and Harry away and moved Harry a little further from the scene; still not sure that Harry was in full control of himself yet.

Hermione turned and was bending over Ginny, who had twisted her ankle in her attempt to get away from Dean so quickly. That's the only reason why the unspoken body bind curse fired from Dean's wand could possibly have caught her off guard. Ginny tried to scream for Harry, but soon realized that Dean had already cast muffliato. Harry and Ron couldn't hear a thing.

Dean was on Ginny in an instant and had her wrists bound behind her back. All Hermione could do was watch helplessly as Dean took Ginny in his arms and twisted on the spot – apparating them away.

"No!" Harry screamed as he finally looked back to see Ginny disappearing in Dean's arms. He and Ron were at Hermione's side and Ron shouted "finite incantatum", releasing Hermione from her binds, and removing the silencing charm.

"What happened?" Harry screamed.

"I don't know," Hermione said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I was helping Ginny with her ankle and he must have fought off your curse. He cast muffliato and then did the body bind on me. Dean took Ginny."

Harry only half listened to Hermione's explanation before he turned, apparating himself directly into Dean's flat, hoping that he would go somewhere familiar. They weren't there.

Harry produced his patronus and sent it to Ron and Hermione at the park to let them know, and then Harry sat on Dean's couch – his head in his hands. He had done it again – let Ginny down. He couldn't believe it. He had failed her. And now she was in the hands of an attempted murderer and it was all his fault. How could he have let Ron steer him away from her for an instant?

XXX

Hermione was being consoled by Ron when they were interrupted by a shining, splendid silver stag. It bent its head close to the couple, and in Harry's voice, said,

"I'm at Dean's flat – they're not here. I'll let you know when I think of something."

And the stag was gone.

"Oh, Ron, I never should have turned my back on Dean," Hermione said in a small voice.

"Yeah, I bet you anything Harry's thinking the same thing. I never should have turned him away from Ginny. I thought Dean was bound, I never thought he could fight off that spell."

"Me either. I never felt so helpless. What do we do now – any ideas?" Hermione asked.

"I think we should get out of here and go back to Grimmauld Place. We'll wait there. Besides, your grey hair is starting to grow and turn blonde."

She smiled a half smile. Hermione allowed Ron to help her from the bench and they walked out of the garden, around a deserted corner and disappeared.

XXX

After five minutes, Harry was still on Dean sofa, having no idea what to do or where to look.

_Think, Harry!_ He said to himself. _Where would he go? Where would he take her?_

And then, just like that, he knew.

Harry stood, his eyes hard as he concentrated and prepared himself for what he had to do. He knew he didn't have time to tell Ron and Hermione his plans. If he wanted Ginny back alive, he had to go alone and quickly.

He held his wand securely in his right hand, and wishing that he had had the forethought to grab his invisibility cloak, he turned.


	20. Chapter 20

**CP 20**

Harry appeared behind a large oak tree on a quiet, deserted street on the outskirts of London. This was a street like any other in appearance, but Harry knew he was in the right place at once.

Twilight had come, and in the dusk Harry rapt his wand on his head casting a disillusionment charm. When the feeling of cold water trickling from his head to his toes dissipated, he moved slowly towards the dark house on the far corner.

He was cautious as he approached; Harry didn't know what kind of charms or jinxes that protected the house. He found a quiet nook in between two hedgerows and he waited, watching closely for any sign of movement.

After ten minutes of agonizingly perfect stillness, Harry was rewarded. He saw a small pinprick of light bouncing through one of the back windows on the main floor of the house – a movement that could only be made by someone holding a wand with the tip lit. Harry approached, moving as quietly as a cat. He crept silently onto the back porch, following the point of light inside as he stepped, surprised that he was able to approach the house so easily.

The light disappeared into another room as he said alohomora and the back door opened with a soft "click." Harry tiptoed in and closed the door behind him, looking around for any sign of Ginny. He had been in this house only once, in his fourth year when he and Ron visited Dean briefly on their way to London from the Burrow. He was glad now that he had come then.

Harry was startled when he heard a door open and then close followed by the sound of a lock sliding home. He frowned, hoping that he would be able to open the door without making noise. He moved to the door, and looking around, Harry figured that it must lead down into the basement.

Steeling himself and casting muffliato (hoping that the spell would mask at least some of the noise), he performed alohomora, opened the door and listened. He heard shuffling and a low moaning – Harry froze.

He raised his wand and started slowly down the steps. He bent his head as soon as he was able and he saw Ginny – his Ginny - tied to a mattress on the floor of this grungy basement. Her shirt and bra had been torn away and her breasts were exposed, heaving up and down with every breath she took. Harry paused and closed his eyes briefly, trying not to lose control of himself, planning how to get Ginny out of here in one piece. _God help Dean if he touched her…_

He stepped again, lower and lower, until a high-pitched squeal of the bottom stair caused him to stop suddenly as Dean swung around, looking for the cause of the noise. Seeing nothing, Dean sneered, and then smiled.

"Ah, it sounds like Potter has come to rescue you, my love," Dean said to Ginny, his eyes never leaving the staircase. Harry meanwhile, used the cover of Dean's voice to step down the last stair and come closer to Ginny and Dean. He circled around, floating past Dean and now stood mere inches from Ginny's head. Harry bent down as Dean moved closer to the staircase, and touched Ginny's cheek.

Harry silently unbound Ginny's ties and fired "sectumsempra" at Dean's torso at the same time. Dean was momentarily cut down and staggered to the ground grasping at the open wound on his chest. It was enough time for Ginny to jump from the bed and stand beside Harry, trying her best to make her shredded shirt cover her breasts again. Harry yelled, "accio wand!" and Ginny's wand darted from Dean's back pocket into her outstretched hand.

"Go, Ginny!" Harry screamed to her. "Apparate out of here! Go!"

"No," she yelled back. "I'm not leaving you!" Harry's eyes grew dark.

"Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" Harry asked her, glancing at her barely concealed breasts. "Reparo," he whispered, and her shirt stitched itself shut again.

"Yes and no. I'm okay, Harry, but he will _never_ touch anyone again…"

Her eyes were like steel, and rather then waste time arguing with her, Harry approached Dean and saw a steady trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. His shirt had begun to soak through with blood from the ragged gash on his chest. He was apparently knocked out.

As Harry turned to Ginny to beg her to go, he heard "incarcerous" a moment before he felt thick ropes wind around his body, effectively immobilizing him. Dean yelled "incendio" immediately, and a foot from Ginny's shoulder a large bolt of flames began licking the dry wood and creeping swiftly up the wall.

"No!" screamed Ginny, and aimed her wand at Dean's heart. Without thinking, she yelled, "stupefy!" and the power behind her spell was so concentrated that Dean fell to the floor unconscious.

She had to do it. Before she could think, before she even freed Harry from the spell that was binding him, Ginny walked over to Dean and stared down at him, hating him with every fiber of her being. It all came rushing out – all of the emotions that she had held inside of her for so long. The fear, the loathing, the guilt – all stemming from that one act of cowardice so many months ago – the fire at the Burrow. And now she was here, standing here staring down at the cause of it all. Dean.

"Diffindo," she said softly, calmly, aiming at Dean's hands, and one by one she could hear his fingers breaking. The cracking sound gave Ginny a sickening satisfaction, and she smiled at her accomplishment. He would never be able to touch another woman the same way he had touched her today.

Dean woke to excruciating pain. He was bound so tightly that it was impossible to move, even if he wanted to. His fingers felt like they were on fire. He screamed with all his might and looked up into Ginny's eyes pleading for mercy. There was none to be found there.

"Diffindo," she said again, this she time aimed at his wrists, loving the sound of the snap as his bones shattered again and again. Ginny broke every bone in Dean's hands and arms before she was finished.

Dean was sweating, unable to scream anymore. He moved as little as possible, each twitch caused him unbearable pain. He was taking shallow breaths and moaning.

"Please," he said breathlessly, "please, Ginny. I'm sorry…so sorry."

"Not so tough now, are you? You'll never be able to touch another woman again, Dean. How does that make you feel? I'm so happy that I could be the one to do this to you," Ginny said.

She turned to Harry then and said, "finite incantatum" and the ropes binding Harry fell away and he stood, rubbing his wrists. Together, he and Ginny turned to the flames and shouted "aguamenti." The flames faltered and died within minutes.

"Are you alright?' Harry asked softly, holding Ginny in his arms.

She nodded. "I am now."

"Thank you for saving me – you were amazing," Harry said, letting Ginny go.

"My pleasure," she said. They both turned to Dean then, and Harry approached him slowly. Ginny held back, wanting to see what Harry was going to do.

When Harry stood over Dean, he looked down and felt nothing but rage. Pity or compassion had no space in Harry's world at that moment. All he thought about was revenge and pain.

"Nice job on him," Harry said, nodding towards Dean.

"Thank you," Ginny replied with a contented smile. Harry turned back to his prey.

Harry stared at Dean, loathing seething through his eyes. Dean was startled, but remained silent. He struggled against his binds, and screamed again at the extreme pain that he found himself in.

"It's no use," Harry began, speaking slowly but deliberately. "There's no escaping this time, Dean. No breaking through these curses, trust me." Harry walked around Dean, never breaking eye contact. Ginny stood to the side watching, Harry reminding her of a cat playing with a trapped mouse. She had had her moment, and now she would let Harry have his.

"So, you think it was smart to go after Ginny instead of me, huh, Dean? You thought that she would be an easier target? Well, you were wrong, weren't you? I bet you regret that decision now. You will_ never_ get close to her again, I promise you that…"

As Harry walked around Dean's bound body, he would flick his wand every so often, and a small, but deep cut would appear on Dean. Harry was casting "sectumsempra" silently – either knowingly or unknowingly, Ginny couldn't tell.

Harry continued, "Thought you were a big man starting that fire, didn't you? Sending the Burrow up in smoke? That was fun, was it? You're idea of keeping Ginny yours? Well, I have news for you – she was never yours, and she never will be. Ginny is mine, she's my wife and I never intend on letting her go. Ever."

"Aah!" Dean screamed and closed his eyes against the pain as another cut was made on his shoulder blade.

By this time, Harry had circled Dean's body three times, more and more cuts appeared along his flesh. The blood began spilling over into long, thin streams, pooling on the floor beside his body.

"Harry," Ginny said softly. He ignored her. "Harry…" she said louder. Again, no response. Ginny approached him as he circled close to her and she touched Harry's arm.

"Harry…" she said, louder than before. He turned to her then. Harry looked through Ginny like she was a pane of glass. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him, of the power he held, of what he could do.

Harry flicked his wand towards Dean once again.

"Protego!" Ginny said, forming a shield between Dean and Harry.

She steeled herself, and turned him fully to face her. "Harry!" She put her hands on either side of his face and brought it down to meet hers, his deep green eyes finally focusing on her warm chocolate ones, and he exhaled, calming. "That's enough, baby. He's not worth killing, trust me."

"Ginny," Harry said, bringing her into his arms and pulling her tight.

"It's okay, Harry, it's over," she replied, holding him closer. Harry released her then and turned to Dean. Harry waved his wand over Dean and the blood began to recede.

"He'll be okay, unfortunately" Harry said, regaining his self-control. "I'll take him to the Ministry; you find Ron and Hermione and let them know what happened. I'll meet you back home as soon as I can."

Ginny nodded. "Okay, be careful."

"Of course. I love you, Gin."

"I love you, too. See you at home."

Harry levitated Dean's body and as he screamed from the pain Ginny and Harry smiled at each other. They turned into oblivion.


	21. Chapter 21

**Cp 21**

Harry arrived in the Grand Atrium of the Ministry of Magic and immediately headed for the lifts, Dean's tightly bound body floating eerily behind him. Harry cared not at all if Dean "accidently" bumped into stone walls or marble statues, and the corners of Harry's mouth twitched upwards each time Dean moaned or grimaced in pain.

The doors to the lifts closed silently, and tired of hearing Dean's moans, Harry once again cast "muffliato" in Dean's direction. Harry finally had some peace. The list descended for a few moments, then dinged to announce their arrival on floor number two.

Harry was met straight away by Kinglsey Shacklebolt, who was informed of Harry's imminent arrival by Hermione's patronus.

"Harry! You're alright?" Kingsley asked, waving his wand in Dean's direction, taking over for Harry.

"Yeah, I'm alright. But, how did you…?" he exhaled and smiled, shaking his head, "Hermione…"

Kingsley smiled and nodded. "An extraordinary witch."

The trio entered Kingsley's office and the Minister waved his wand again. Dean flew across the room smacking, rather harshly, up against the far wall, spread eagle - his wrists and ankles bound instantly. The sizzling electric currents keeping Dean secure sparked and crackled every so often, and Harry relaxed into a chair near Kingsley's desk, the Minister sitting with him.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" the Minister asked, and Harry nodded.

"Now's a good a time as any, I suppose," Harry responded, and he proceeded to tell the Minister everything: the steps the trio had taken, the investigation, finding the coin, and finally Ginny's meetings with Dean and everything that had happened in Dean's basement. It took Harry two full hours to complete the tale, stopping to answer the Minister's questions and filling in the blanks.

Kingsley sat there, unable to believe what the young group had accomplished. They had succeeded where his highly trained Aurors had failed. He took a minute to collect his thoughts, looked briefly at Dean, then finally addressed Harry.

"If you wouldn't mind, Harry, I'd like to set up a meeting with the four of you. Very informal, but there are a few things that I'd like to go over."

"Of course, Minister, but can we arrange the meeting for next month? I'd really like to take Ginny away from here for a while. She's been through a lot the past few days and I'd like for her to relax a bit and come to terms with what's happened," Harry replied, standing.

"Absolutely fine with me," Kingsley replied, and fetched his calendar from his desk, glancing through it quickly. "How is the 20th of October? That will be four weeks from now."

"Perfect," Harry said. "I'll let Ron and Hermione know. Thank you, Minister."

"Kingsley, please, Harry." Harry nodded and smiled. They shook hands, and with one more snarl in Dean's direction, Harry turned and left, exhausted.

XXX

Once Harry made his way to the Ministry's Atrium, he turned quickly to the right and apparated home. He landed in the living room, and was met by Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Ginny was in Harry's arms in an instant.

"Harry, I was so worried," Ginny said, pulling her husband to the couch so that he could sit beside her. "What took you so long?"

"Kingsley wanted to go over what happened. I figured that I might as well get it over with, so I explained everything," Harry replied. He reached up and rubbed his eyes vigorously, and ran his hands through his haphazard hair.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Sure," Harry replied. "I wasn't hurt, I'm just so tired." He turned to Ginny. "Aren't you?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, but I wanted to wait for you, to make sure that everything was okay."

"Yeah, Dean is in Kingsley's hands now."

"Alright then, mate. As long as you're okay, we're going to tip off. We'll catch up with you both tomorrow, yeah?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "Thank you guys, so much for all of your help. We couldn't have done it without you."

The four exchanged hugs, and with a promise to meet for dinner tomorrow night, Ron and Hermione apparated out.

Harry finally turned to Ginny and really looked at her. "Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked, looking for any traces of blood or cuts.

Ginny nodded, but didn't say a word. She took Harry by the hand and led him up the staircase to their bedroom and closed the door behind them. She flew into Harry's arms and nearly knocked him over. Harry lifted her easily into his arms, and her legs wound around his waist.

Ginny kissed him like she hadn't seen him for a month. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth and she groaned at the contact. She couldn't get enough of him, couldn't get close enough.

Harry held her tight and said a prayer of thanks that the day had finally ended, and everyone he loved had survived it. It had been an exhausting one, both emotionally and physically - which reminded Harry of the state in which he had found Ginny in Dean's basement. He pulled her away from him and held her by her shoulders, looking her square in the eye.

"Ginny, please tell me the truth. Are you really okay? Can you tell me what happened?"

Ginny sighed and nodded, heading towards the bed and sitting down, bringing Harry to sit down with her. She put her head on Harry's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She settled in to him and began her tale.

"Well, you saw him apparate with me from the park. We went directly to the basement of that house. I tried to hex him, but he was too strong – he wrestled away my wand and he did the body bind curse on me. He pushed me down on that filthy mattress and tied my wrists and my ankles and I couldn't move."

Harry nodded, trying not to interrupt. He wanted to hear everything. Ginny continued,

"The worst part was the sick smile that he had on his face the whole time. He's really twisted, Harry. Something is really wrong with him – he's not all there. Sometimes he was talking to me and then other times he was just muttering things to himself. It was so strange. I've never felt more frightened in my life – not even when we were fighting Voldemort."

Ginny ran her hand through her hair and scratched at the side of her wrist absentmindedly.

"Anyway, after he tied me down, he climbed onto the mattress with me and just kind of leered at me, you know? Then he ripped my shirt apart and unhooked my bra really slowly. It was so creepy."

"Did he touch you?" Harry asked softly.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, only for a minute. He got up and went upstairs for something, then he came back down and walked towards me. He had a candle in his hand and a lighter in the other. He kind of walked around just looking at me for a while, then he heard you on the stairs." Ginny sighed, "You know the rest."

"Did he hurt you?" Harry asked.

Ginny shook her head. "No, but I didn't like him touching me, and I think he was about to get a little freaky with that candle. I was glad you showed up then." Ginny looked at Harry. "How_ did_ you know where I was?"

"Ron and I had been there. We went to his house for a minute to pick up something a couple of years ago on our way to London. Thank God we did, or I would have had no idea where to look for you. First, I went to his flat and obviously you weren't there. I looked around, but knew it was a lost cause. I sat on his couch to think and it came to me in an instant where you were. I knew I was right, so I went. I wish I had gotten there sooner, Gin. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Harry. I'm okay, no harm done, I promise. I am perfectly alright."

"He touched you," Harry said softly.

"Yes," Ginny confirmed. "But he didn't hurt me and it was no big deal. I thought only of you and didn't feel his hands at all. I focused all my thoughts on _you_."

Harry gave her a half-smile, wishing that he could believe that she was alright. Every time he thought of Dean touching his wife, he wanted to rip him to pieces.

He exhaled sharply and looked hard at Ginny. "You're absolutely positive that you're okay? Please tell me the truth, Gin."

Ginny placed her hands on either side of Harry's face and looked into his eyes. "Trust me, Harry. I'm fine, honestly."

Harry nodded and kissed Ginny. "Okay." He pulled her into a hug and thanked God again that she was alright. Harry relaxed into her arms and she smiled into his shoulder as she felt him unwind.

The couple stayed there wrapped in each other's arms for a long time. They were silent as they ran their hands down and across each other's backs and sides, trying to convey their deep feelings to the other.

"I love you, Harry," Ginny finally said quietly. "You are the most important thing in the world to me, I can't live without you."

Harry smiled, really relaxing for the first time today. "I adore you, Gin. I couldn't live without you either, and I never want to try."

Harry leaned in and kissed Ginny, running his fingers through her long vibrant hair. "Come with me," Harry said, leading her from the bed into the bathroom.

He ran her a bath filled with scented bubbles and he lit candles as Ginny stood there watching, a smile playing across her lips. She loved him.

When Harry was done and the water continued to fill the tub, he turned to Ginny and smiled. He approached her and began unbuttoning her shirt, looking at the beautiful smooth, creamy skin that was uncovered with each opening. He removed the shirt from her arms and let it fall to the floor, kissing her shoulders and neck as her unhooked her bra and let that fall as well.

Harry released the closure on Ginny's jeans and bent at his waist to bring them to the floor, hooking her underwear with his thumbs as he went. He kissed Ginny's thighs as she picked up her legs to kick her jeans off and worked his way up her body with his lips and tongue until he was standing upright once again.

Ginny smiled as he met her lips with his, and he took her hand and helped her step into the tub. She moaned as she sat in the warm water, not realizing how much her body ached until she did. She laid her head back and closed her eyes, feeling like she was melting into the back of the tub.

"Mmm…this feels so good, Harry. Just what I needed…" she said, her eyes still closed.

"Good. Just relax now," he replied and he took the washcloth in his hands, lathering it up with a lilac scented soap. Her gingerly took Ginny's arm and began to wash her. He ran the cloth up and down her arm – tenderly but thoroughly cleaning her. She moaned her appreciation again as he continued to the other arm and shoulders.

Harry reapplied the soap and ran the cloth across Ginny's breasts and he felt her breathing increase as he washed her. He took his time, enjoying the contact himself. She was so beautiful, every time he looked at her, he couldn't believe she was his.

He ran the cloth down her hips to her thighs, lifting her legs out of the water as he washed her down to her toes. Ginny smiled as she watched his progress, loving the feeling of Harry taking care of her this way.

When Harry was done with her legs, he stood and began to undress. Ginny smiled up at him lovingly.

"Are you joining me?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"It's the only way I can reach your back," he said, grinning. "Sit up a minute."

Ginny moved forward as Harry slid in back of her. He, too, couldn't get over how good the warm water felt on his body. Ginny turned the tap back on briefly to heat the water again, then she turned off the faucet and laid back against Harry's chest. The couple lay there a minute, enjoying the feel of the water and each other. Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's stomach and her hands came to rest on his.

A few minutes later, Harry opened his eyes and began to caress Ginny. He started making slow circles on her stomach, coming closer and closer to her breasts. Ginny's hands remained on his as they traced her body, and she moaned a little at his touch.

By the time Harry's fingers traced the underside of her breasts, Ginny was nearly out of her mind. Her breathing was ragged and uneven, aching for Harry in that moment. He touched her tender skin lightly, circling her taut nipples but not touching them, making Ginny crazy. She pushed her chest up, trying to make Harry touch her, and he smiled. He loved making Ginny want him like this. Teasing her until she couldn't take anymore. It was just a matter of time…

Harry felt his erection grow under Ginny's back and he relished it – he loved what she did to him. It took him only an instant to react to her touch. When Ginny lay back against his chest, he continued teasing her. Her nipples were so hard, and she had begun turning her head from side to side and rolling her hips. He skimmed his fingers across her nipples then, and Ginny gasped out loud.

She turned over quickly, the water sloshing out of the tub and her thighs landing on either side of Harry's legs. He smiled.

"You're teasing me – stop it!" Ginny said and brought her lips down to his in a crushing kiss.

"No more teasing tonight, I promise," Harry replied and guided himself into Ginny. She lifted her hips, helping him, and once she felt him enter her, she slid down easily onto his entire length.

"Mmm," was all the response that she could manage as her head fell onto Harry's chest. She ran her hands down the soft hair of his chest and across his nipples, not moving her hips, just loving the feeling of Harry inside of her. "You feel so good."

Harry held Ginny's hips for a minute, then began pushing her hips back and forth on top of him, loving the feeling of that sweet friction.

"I love you, Ginny," he whispered into her hair. "Love you…"

Ginny smiled into Harry's shoulder. "I love you, too, Harry, so much." Ginny rocked her hips gently and threw her head back, letting Harry set the pace. His hands wandered from her hips and up her stomach, across her breasts to her neck. He caressed her gently, then pulled her face down to his for a forceful kiss. He couldn't control himself anymore, and he began to move Ginny's hips faster and faster.

She helped him and began bouncing up and down on him, extending herself up until Harry was almost free of her body, then she would crash back down onto him with a vengeance. Harry grunted and moaned at the same time, loving Ginny so deeply.

They moaned together as wave after wave of pleasure pored from their bodies at the same time, and Ginny lay on top of Harry's chest, breathing deeply. Harry traced circles on her back and then pulled her close as their breathing returned to normal.

The couple climbed from the bath as the water turned colder and Ginny wrapped Harry in a large, fluffy towel and then grabbed one for herself. They threw the towels to the floor and ran to their bed, rummaging swiftly under the covers and finding each others arms. Ginny settled herself deep into Harry's arms and fell asleep dreaming about him as he ran his fingers through her long, wet hair.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Harry woke early the next morning and found his wife snuggled close against his side, her arm thrown haphazardly across his chest. He kissed her hair, inhaling her sweet scent at the same time. Ginny sighed and rolled away from him, pulling the warm coverlet up under her chin. Harry smiled and got out of bed, dressing quietly and closing the bedroom door behind him as he descended the stairs to the kitchen.

He sat and scanned the Daily Prophet as Kreacher made him some toast and tea. Harry was relieved to find that not a word of yesterday's happenings with Dean had made the news. He stood after finishing his breakfast, stretched his arms up towards the ceiling then disapparated from the kitchen to take care of his errands for the day.

Ginny rose an hour later and found Harry already gone, Kreacher not knowing exactly where he went. She decided to take a long, hot bath and then she flooed to the Burrow to visit her family. She had to tell them what had happened, and she figured that it was better done sooner rather than later.

She was greeted by her Mum and Dad, who heard her tale with a mixture of gasps of anxiety, sighs of relief and a few shed tears. It took Ginny just as long to tell her parents as it had taken Harry to tell the Minister.

Ginny spent the morning and afternoon visiting with her family. Many of her brothers had flooed in throughout the day to see her after getting their mother's owls telling them Ginny's harrowing story. It had been really nice to see her siblings; she just wished that it had been under nicer circumstances.

Ginny flooed back to Grimmauld Place at 4PM, finding Harry sitting in his favorite chair awaiting her return.

"Hi, love," Harry said softly with a smile, rising from his chair to greet her properly. He brought her into a hug and exhaled, relieved to have her back home with him finally. "At the Burrow today?"

Ginny nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah, I left you a note…"

"I know, thank you," Harry said.

"I told Mum and Dad what happened, and then it was a whirlwind afternoon of most of my brothers flooing in and out." Harry chuckled softly and held her tighter; Ginny was in no hurry to be released.

"What time are Hermione and Ron due?" Harry asked and Ginny stepped back to look at her watch and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Twenty minutes," she replied and started up the stairs, pulling Harry by the hand behind her. "Come on, love, let's get dressed."

They were finished with three minutes to spare and as Harry and Ginny reached the last stair, they heard the crack of Hermione and Ron apparating in their living room. The foursome greeted each other and then set out for the kitchen where Kreacher had prepared dinner.

They ate, drank and talked throughout the meal, relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

"I have some news," Harry said during a break from his dessert plate. He immediately had everyone's attention. "We're going on holiday."

"Brilliant, Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "Where are you taking Ginny?"

"Not just Ginny…all of us."

Ron and Hermione sat there stunned.

"What?" Ron said, not understanding, wrinkling his forehead and looking towards Hermione for an explanation.

"We're all going," Harry continued, smiling. "Together."

"Great idea, Harry," Ginny said, returning his smile and nodding.

"Wow, Harry, that's so nice, but are you sure?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "It's all planned - Italy and the French Rivera – three weeks of nothing but relaxation."

"Really, mate? You're taking us with you?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "I think we could all do with a bit of rest for a while."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said.

"Yeah, thanks mate," Ron echoed.

"Sure. Oh and by the way, the four of us have a meeting with the Minister when we get back. He asked me yesterday to meet with all of us – I think it has to do with how we caught Dean. Anyway, that's not until we get back, and we leave day after tomorrow, so get home and pack."

Hermione smiled and pulled Ron up by the hand. "Let's go, Ron," she said and headed for the living room, Harry and Ginny following them.

They all hugged and said their goodbyes, excited to see each other again in two days time.

"I'll send Helena with all of the details of the trip tomorrow," Harry said, and they were gone.

"You're wonderful, you know that?" Ginny said, taking her husband's hand and leading him upstairs.

"It'll be a nice trip. I want you to just relax and take it easy. You've been under a lot of stress."

"So have you, love," Ginny reminded him. Ginny turned to him with a gleam in her eye. "You didn't book us adjoining rooms, did you?" she asked and chuckled.

Harry laughed. "No, their room won't be very close, I assure you."

"Good," she said, pulling Harry in close for a kiss. "Because I'm not planning on sharing you with them very often."

Harry smiled again and took Ginny in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way to their bedroom.

One brief conversation with the Minister and Harry had arranged for a portkey to take the foursome to both of their holiday destinations. Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny hung on tightly to the luggage and placed one finger on the old, mangled hairbrush. Harry counted down from three and then they were being flung through the air, feeling as if their spines were being pulled through their bellies.

Thankfully, the sensation only lasted a few moments and then they were standing on a terrace overlooking the most amazingly blue water that they had ever seen.

"Wow," said Hermione, a little breathlessly. 'It's stunning."

Ron could only nod in agreement, not quite sure what to say about the picturesque landscape.

"It's perfect, Harry," Ginny agreed and put her arms around her husband and smiled. Harry kissed her head and nodded.

"Wasn't really sure what to expect from the brochures, but it looks fantastic," he said. The hotel's grand white exterior was impressive, looking to them like a beautifully kept castle. Harry led them all inside, checked them in, and the couples parted each heading for their rooms and agreeing to meet that night for dinner.

Harry guided Ginny to the lift on the left side of the lobby and rode to the top floor. He opened the door to their suite and Ginny gasped at the sight before them. Their room overlooked the Mediterranean Ocean, separated only by a large terrace and the hotel's beach. The hotel, located on the exquisite beach in Nice, France on the Cote d'Azur was stunning and Ginny couldn't wait to explore.

Harry smiled as he looked flung open the balcony doors and looked left and right. Warm, crisp air flowed around him and he closed his eyes and breathed in deep.

"I love it here already," he whispered and Ginny smiled at the peace she heard in her husband's voice.

"I'm glad, Harry. I hope you can relax a little bit while we're here." He nodded and kissed her gently.

"Both of us – all four of us, actually. Ah, Gin, I feel better already." Harry squeezed Ginny's shoulders and smiled again.

"Good. But, we have ten days to explore and enjoy the ocean and I think we should explore the bedroom for a while. We only have…three hours until we have to meet Ron and Hermione for dinner," Ginny said with a gleam in her eye. She smiled and started discarding her clothing as she made her way through the side door to their bedroom, Harry following close behind her.

"Wow, this suite is enormous. Look at the size of that bed!" Ginny stopped short as the sight of the huge bed draped in fluffy white fabrics delighted her. She giggled as Harry came into the room and she ran swiftly and jumped as high as she could and landed with a loud "pouf" in the middle of the bed. The down comforter was so full of air that for a moment Ginny disappeared as if in a cloud.

Harry laughed out loud as he came closer to see Ginny in a fit of hysterics in the middle of the bed. He jumped, too, and landed next to Ginny, their arms and legs entangled. Harry pulled her on top of him and kissed her soundly, effectively stifling her giggles. He kissed Ginny, feeling the texture of her tongue and tasting every nook and corner of her mouth.

Ginny broke away breathless and smiled at Harry. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you, too," he replied. Harry sat up and discarded his shirt as Ginny watched appreciatively. She snapped open the button on his jeans and he shimmied them down his legs and flung them off the side of the bed along with the rest of his clothing. The couple lay there in their fluffy bed admiring each other's bodies for a few minutes, then Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry's chest.

She rubbed her cheek back and forth against his skin, loving the feel of Harry's hair against her face. She closed her eyes and focused on the tactile sensations. Ginny rose to her knees and crawled between his legs, her face never more then inches from his soft skin.

She closed her eyes and let the sensations flood her mind. The soft tickle of the hair on Harry's body against her skin, the low moans of pleasure that Harry made, the taste of his sweet skin when she flicked out her tongue - everything seeped in and Ginny crawled up to Harry and he took her in his strong arms. She crashed her mouth down on his and they kissed.

Harry rolled Ginny over and came to rest on top of her. He entered her swiftly, unable to be patient this time. But, he needn't have worried Ginny was ready for him and she began to move her hips as soon as Harry entered her. Within a minute, Ginny was screaming as an orgasm ripped through her body, leaving her legs weak and trembling.

Harry smiled and moved back, turning her over onto her knees. Ginny mewed like a kitten, knowing what was coming and anticipating the sensations. Harry entered her from behind, loving the way that the flesh on Ginny's ass rippled every time he thrust. Ginny was panting heavily and moved back into Harry, pulling him deeper inside of her.

Ginny's second orgasm ripped through her and she collapsed onto her elbows, her breathing turning irregular and a thin sheen of sweat covering her back. Harry was so close that he had to turn away. The sight of Ginny overcome by orgasm nearly made him come as well.

Ginny moved away from him and lay of her side, raising her top leg up to her hip and she smiled at Harry. He smiled in response and came into her, holding her leg as he thrust again and again. The sensations were incredible – Harry felt as if he could feel every single millimeter of Ginny's skin. The feelings were overwhelming.

"Gin," Harry breathed heavily. "I can't…hold off."

"Harry, please," Ginny whispered. "I want to feel you…please."

Harry couldn't wait, he thrust twice more and then exploded inside of Ginny. He stayed there for a few minutes, then collapsed on the sheets next to his wife.

They smiled at each other and Harry wrapped Ginny in his arms, their sweat-soaked bodies slapping against each other. They fell asleep moments later, waking later thirty minutes before they were due to meet Hermione and Ron for dinner.

They showered together and dressed, nearly missing dinner as Harry gave in to Ginny once more – a quick explosion of pleasure that would hopefully last them through dinner. Harry laughed as Ginny put on a gauzy white dress and gold sandals.

"A little virginal for you, isn't it, love?" he asked, smiling.

Ginny chuckled. "I guess, but I'm still a virgin in Ron's eyes, so…"

"And you always will be to him," Harry replied, taking Ginny's hand and leading her to the door. He leaned in and said, "I love you."

Ginny kissed him as she shut the door behind them.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The ten days flew as the foursome made the most of their time in France. They walked for miles, admiring the quaint towns and countryside, and spent many wonderful, peaceful days on the beach. They soaked up the sun and swam endlessly.

The best part of the trip for Ginny was watching Ron trying to snorkel. He was so uncomfortable with the notion of breathing while his head was under water that he kept choking and spitting up everywhere. After the seventh time, Ginny couldn't hold back anymore and she laughed so hard that she was holding her side with one hand and Harry's arm with the other. She was loud enough that she was attracting a lot of attention from the sunbathers.

Harry was struck by her. He stood there watching her laughing and she was so carefree and so amazingly beautiful in that moment that Harry had to reach over and take her in his arms. Her wet hair was glistening like fire in the sunlight, her body was covered with sparkling droplets of water and her head was thrown back in laughter. Harry couldn't resist her.

He swung her towards him and caught her around the waist. She gasped in surprise as he dipped her low, her hair dangling in the clear, blue water and he kissed her. A smile from her laughter was still evident on her lips as Harry brought her back up and into his arms and deepened their kiss.

He broke from her a minute later and Ginny clung to him, her arms tight around Harry's neck.

"I love you, Harry," she whispered.

Harry closed his eyes and smiled. "I love you, too," he replied softly and kissed her earlobe. "You are so incredibly beautiful."

"Really, how many times are we going to be subjected to this?" Ron asked, as Harry and Ginny laughed and turned around towards him and Hermione. "I know that I finally agreed to let you two date and then marry, I just never thought that I would be constantly assaulted by the public displays."

Ginny eyes flared. "First, you git, your permission was neither asked for nor required for Harry and I to date or marry – or screw for that matter – and yes, we do that, too, all the time and it's _amazing_! And second, if you don't like the 'public displays' as you call them, then don't look."

Ginny took Harry's hand and walked through the surf to the beach as Ron sputtered and choked over Ginny's rant and she smiled again. Hermione was chuckling, too, as the couple walked past her and Harry winked, following his bride to the sand.

xxx

The first part of their trip ended two days later when they packed up their bags, readying themselves for Italy. The group was tanned and relaxed from their time at the beach, and Harry was glad because he had a lot of their time in Italy planned with excursions.

The portkey left exactly on time and transported them to the balcony of their hotel in Naples. The friends looked around and were amazed to find that they were staring down the side of a cliff, overlooking the most beautiful vista of water that they had ever seen. It was noon, and the bright sunlight was dancing like diamonds on the gently cresting waves.

"Wow," said Hermione softly and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Hungry," Ron muttered and he turned around, looking for somewhere to eat, squinting in the sunshine. He had been completely unimpressed by the view.

Harry chuckled and put his arm around Ron's shoulder, leading him into the hotel, followed closely by the girls.

They checked in, deposited their luggage in their rooms, then went out into the City to find a restaurant for Ron.

They ate their first "authentic" pizza and marveled at the taste, the freshness, the simplicity of the ingredients – the crisp crust. There was no way that they were getting anything like this in England.

Then, they had walked around for hours exploring the many side-streets and shops along the way. They had been startled at first at the sheer _volume _of people on the streets and cars on the roads. There didn't seem to enough space for everyone, but once they opted to explore the smaller alleyways, the traffic thinned and they were able to relax a bit.

They found a simple gelateria a few steps from their hotel, and stopped in for double scoops before heading back to their rooms for the night.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Harry brought his friends to the front of the hotel and there they were met by the Italian tour guide that Harry had hired for the duration of their time in Italy. There were so many sights to see that he didn't want to miss, and he thought that a local would be better to plan the trip then he would. And a bonus was that the guide, Gennaro, would drive for them as well.

From Naples, they ventured south first with a short drive to Sorrento, down the twisting, winding, ancient, narrow Amalfi coast overlooking the sea. As is the norm in Italy, Gennaro drove too fast, much faster then Hermione would have liked. By the time the car stopped in Sorrento, Hermione looked faintly green and her knuckles were white from holding on to the door handle so tightly.

They had a light lunch at a restaurant surrounded by orange and lemon trees and the scent was intoxicating as they ate pasta and crusty bread and salad and drank a fruity white wine.

Next, the group boarded a boat that brought them across the sparkling water to the beautiful island of Capri. There, Gennaro took them to churches and little boutiques, stopping once, too, to buy creamy gelato.

Harry and Ginny wandered into a small store on the top of the island where Ginny had her feet measured. The shop made handmade sandals, in the wearer's choice of color and style, and then Harry and Ginny watched as her shoes came to life. She had chosen a pale blue leather, the color of the sky and water, and Harry had chosen a pale tan color that perfectly matched her skin tone. When the shoemaker was finished, he slipped the blue pair onto Ginny's feet.

She stood up and they were perfect. She had never had more comfortable shoes in her life – they fit her like a glove. She smiled and thanked Harry as he paid – he was just happy to make her happy and to see the smile on her face.

They strolled leisurely around the courtyard outside the shop until Harry pulled Ginny by the hand into a small boutique off the square. They both had fun going through the racks of beautiful clothes, and Harry bought Ginny a dress without her noticing.

The foursome met fifteen minutes later and were escorted to their hotel in Anacapri just as the sun was setting. They parted company, promising to meet for breakfast and went to their separate rooms.

Harry picked Ginny up and brought her to their bed. He opened the shutters and window, letting the warm, clean air flow through the room, and he quietly undressed as Ginny watched him and did the same. They made love to each other gently, hardly speaking a word, just concentrating on each other.

They both dozed after that, sleeping and waking and then finally at 11:30 PM, Harry shook Ginny by the shoulder.

"Ginny, wake up," he said softly. She moaned and turned over into his arms.

"Why?" she asked groggily. "I'm sleeping."

Harry smiled and kissed her cheek. "Come on, love. It's a surprise, you'll like it I promise." He pulled her hand until she was standing up beside him. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

"Okay, but this better be good."

"Here," Harry said as he tossed her the hairbrush.

"We're going out?" she asked and he nodded. He came to her and put the bag from the boutique on the bed.

"Put this on – I'll be right back." Harry disappeared into the bathroom.

Ginny was puzzled, but pulled the hairbrush through her hair a few times until she got all of the knots out and then dropped the brush onto the bed. She peered into the bag Harry had left and her brow furrowed.

She reached in and pulled out the fabric, and in her hand was a beautiful, simple, white chiffon dress. "What is going on?" she asked herself.

She shrugged her shoulders and pulled off the pyjamas that she had been wearing and slipped the thin dress over her head. It fell to just below her knees. It fit perfectly over her torso and then billowed out slightly from her waist to her knees in beautiful sheer tiers. She picked the pair of tan sandals that Harry had bought for her today from their box and wrapped them around her feet.

She pulled her hair up and fastened it in a loose knot at the base of her neck, letting a few strands frame her face. She sprayed perfume in her hair and on her wrists. She didn't know what the occasion was, but she figured that if Harry wanted her wearing this beautiful dress, then she would go all the way for him.

He opened the door to the bathroom and saw her standing there with her back to him. She was beautiful without even trying. He came to her and wrapped his arms around her, inhaling the delicate perfume that she had applied.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

"And, you're prejudice," she said, laughing softly, turning to face him. "You look good, too!" Harry had changed into khakis and a button-down white shirt. "So, where are we off to?"

Harry just shook his head and took her hand leading her out the door. They walked along the softly lit paths of the hotel grounds until they came to a small copse of trees. Harry led her to a door there, and they entered together into a small, quiet room filled with candles and scented with the flowers of the island.

"Harry, what is this?" Ginny asked gently, looking slowly around the pretty room. And then she noticed the benches, pews really, facing a small, plain alter.

Just then, the priest who usually said mass in this beautiful space entered through the back door and approached them.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," he began. "Right on time, good. Then, whenever you're ready…" He turned and walked back to the alter, preparing himself.

Harry turned to Ginny who still had questions in her eyes, took her hands in his and said, "Ginny, when we got married, I was … there were too many people there. Now, it's just us, and I thought that, in this magical place, we could renew our vows to each other, just us."

Ginny smiled and put her head down. She didn't know how he did it. How did someone who grew up without a single stitch of love given to him, have so much love to give to others? She would never understand.

She lifted her eyes to him, and he saw the tears there. She nodded once, and he smiled back at her. Harry led Ginny to the back of the pews and glanced at her.

"Ready?" he asked her and she nodded again, not trusting herself to speak. He took a step forward and then stopped. "Wait."

He stepped away from her and took a handful of flowers from a vase at the back and handed them to Ginny. She smiled and brought them up to her nose, inhaling the citrus-scented blossoms.

"Thank you," she said and they began to walk. Ginny's arm linked through Harry's as they walked together down the short aisle. Too soon it was over, and they were standing in front of the priest.

"I think it's wonderful what you two are doing," the priest began. "Too often young people rush into things without thinking, without giving the object proper consideration, without reflecting upon what they are about to do or the consequences of their actions. I can see that this isn't the case with you two. It's refreshing to see the two of you, so full of love for each other. It gives me great hope for the future."

Harry and Ginny smiled at each other and Ginny put the flowers down and took Harry's hands.

The priest continued. "It's my understanding that the two of you wish to renew your wedding vows. It will be my pleasure to witness them. Mr. Potter would you like to begin?"

Harry nodded and cleared his throat, grasping Ginny's hands tighter. "I thought all day about what I'd say to you tonight, Gin. Something that I could tell you that you didn't already know - another way to show you or tell you that I love you. I came up blank." Harry smiled hid crooked smile and Ginny grinned at him.

He exhaled. "It's just that those words have been said a million times, and they don't convey to the slightest degree the absolute _depth _of my feelings for you." Harry rolled Ginny's fingers between his, running his thumb lightly over her engagement ring and wedding ring. He looked up into her eyes.

"I decided to just tell you how you make me feel, and then maybe you'll understand a little bit. I breathe easier when you're with me. I feel like nothing's missing when you're there. I love knowing that I get the pleasure of making you happy every day of our lives. I get to make you smile, I get to make you laugh. That's a great honor that I never thought I'd have.

I didn't even know enough of love to hope for you. I didn't understand what loving someone meant, what it could do for a person. I've been beaten down my whole life, never a kind word, never a loving kiss or hug. Never. Until you. I didn't know, Gin…I couldn't even imagine someone like you in my wildest dreams.

And now, I've been transformed by you – by your love. You make me want to smile, where before there was just sorrow. You make me want to be a better man for you. You make me laugh – you make me whole. I never knew what was missing until you.

I'll never want anyone else to be by my side. I want to share myself, my life, with only you. You are in my heart, Ginny. It's always been you, and it will always be you. Always."

Harry leaned in and kissed Ginny gently. She wiped the ears from her eyes and looked at him with wonder. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her rings - their symbol of eternity.

The priest asked, "Mrs. Potter – if you would…"

Ginny smiled and took Harry's hands again. She exhaled and began,

"You never have to worry about me doubting your feelings, Harry. If you're making beautiful, grand gestures like this one, or if we're just sitting watching the telly, I know you love me. I feel it every moment of every day. When you look at me, when you touch me, even when you're just saying my name, I've never felt so loved.

You touch me to my core and are enmeshed so completely with me. If we were to part, I would surely die because how can one half of a person live without their other half? It's impossible.

I've watched you from the sidelines since I was ten, watched you change and grow and mature. You've become an amazing man, Harry. You are unbelievably loving and giving of yourself. You are generous to a fault and so open and caring and gentle. And that would be amazing for anyone, but for you – someone who hasn't ever known love or gentleness or the security of a loving family – it is truly astonishing. I love who I am when I'm with you.

I can only imagine how proud of you your parents must be. I know that they're here with us, Harry. They never left you, and I'm sure that it's their influence that has made you the man you are.

I love you, Harry. Now and for the rest of my life."

Ginny leaned forward and brushed her lips against Harry's.

"What are your promises to each other?" the priest asked them.

Harry began, "I promise to love you all the days of my life."

Ginny: "I promise to always be grateful for you."

Harry: "I promise to calm myself when I get mad, before speaking with you."

Ginny: "I promise to never take you for granted."

Harry: "I promise to remind you every day how much a part of me you are."

Ginny: "I promise that we will never go to bed angry at each other, to always talk to you when I'm upset, to always say I'm sorry when I'm wrong."

Harry: "I promise to listen to your side of every argument."

Ginny: "I promise to never leave my hosiery drying over the shower curtain rod."

Harry smiled. "I promise to never eat biscuits in bed."

Ginny laughed then, too. "Deal," she said, smiling.

The priest joined in their laughter and concluded the service with a prayer. Once blessed, Harry and Ginny strolled back down the aisle arm in arm.

They walked to the large terrace surrounding the pool and sat in two chairs facing the ocean. Ginny turned to Harry and said softly, "Thank you for this, Harry. It was wonderful."

He nodded and leaned in, kissing Ginny as a gentle breeze ruffled her long hair and the flowing skirt ruffled around her knees.

"I love you, Ginny," he said simply and she nodded.

"Yeah, I got that feeling." she said and laughed. "Come on, Harry, let's go inside," and they got up and went to their room for the night.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The next morning, Ginny was roused by the bright sunshine streaming through the shutters. She closed her eyes once again and smiled, leaning back into Harry. He unconsciously wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, right where she wanted to be.

"Harry?" she whispered. No answer came from him, so she turned in his arms and looked at him. She liked what she saw.

He rested beside her peacefully – a welcome change from the fitful sleep of his past night after night. There were no more fears in the back of his mind that he or the people that he loved were on the verge of an attack by Voldemort or his followers. She was glad that he found peace at last.

Ginny kissed Harry's soft lips and brushed his hair from his eyes as he continued to sleep.

She got up, wrapped her robe around her and opened the doors to their balcony. She stood in the sun, finally sitting down in the lounge chair looking over the water, allowing the warm breeze to soothe her. Ginny closed her eyes and leaned her head back, breathing in deep. She must have drifted off, because a hand on the back of her shoulder startled her and she snapped her head up. She looked around slowly, already a smile on her lips expecting to see Harry.

Her eyes flew open wide when Dean stood just behind her and he wrapped his hand around her mouth before she even had a chance to suck in a breath to scream.

The vicious look on his face told Ginny that he was not here to apologize for what he had put her through. He grabbed her and lifted her brutally from her chair and pulled her back off the side of the balcony and through the dense brush towards the cliffs.

She struggled as much as she could, but she was no match for Dean's bulk and strength. Her wand lay helplessly on the table by the bed where Harry slept.

"Got to be quick about this," Dean said to himself. "I'm sure the Minister isn't far behind me." It was no time at all before Ginny and Dean stood on the great precipice of cliffs overlooking the sea. It was a long drop, about 300 hundred feet from here to the water, Ginny thought.

"So, I'm debating, Gin. What do you think? Kill you and then throw you over, or throw you over and let the rocks kill you? I'm so undecided…" Dean chided her. She bucked against him hard, but all that succeeded in doing was make Dean even more angry, if that was possible.

"Don't think for one second that you're getting away from me this time. Harry won't save you – I hit him with a sleeping spell before I grabbed you, so it will be some time before he wakes." Dean paused for a second.

"Yeah, I think I'll kill you first – don't want you screaming on the way down and waking everyone, it's still quite early, you know. We must have a little consideration for the neighbors."

Dean reached around Ginny with his right arm and stuck his wand square in her face. He said, "stupefy!" and Ginny was instantly rigid, unable to move and unable to speak. Dean laid her gently on the ground and stood over her, then knelt down by her side. "It was nice knowing you, Ginny, even if you did turn out to be a real bitch in the end." Dean leaned down and kissed her.

Ginny's eyes were wild. She had to do something! _Move!_ She screamed to herself. _Move! Harry! Harry, help me! Oh, God. Oh, God. Harry, I love you – I love you!_

Dean stood up and pointed his wand directly at Ginny's heart, and without hesitation he said "Avada Kadavra!" A green bolt shot from his wand and struck Ginny fully in her chest. Her body was heaved off the ground for a second, and with eyes as wide as the sun, Ginny was gone.

Dean smiled to himself. He should have done this in the first place, back at his house when he had the chance. He almost wished that Harry had been here to see this. He would have loved the drama. Dean used his feet to roll Ginny over to the cliff, and said one final farewell to his first love, then kicked her body over the edge.

Her beautiful red hair made quite a show on the way down, twisting and turning in the wind until her broken body bounced off of the black rocks and made a great splash in the water. She went under immediately, resurfaced for a few seconds, and then sunk one last time.

Dean was struck in the back by an unuttered spell, and he fell to the ground face first as thick ropes wound tightly around his body. He smiled, knowing that the deed had been done and there wasn't anything to be done to save her now. He didn't care what happened to himself.

He was rolled onto his side, and he was staring up into the eyes of Minister Shacklebolt, an expression beyond anger and grief in his eyes. The Minister produced his patronus whispered to it and sent it off before turning back to Dean. He reached down and took Dean's wand that had landed ten feet away when he fell. He snapped the wand into three pieces and sent them flying into the water. He went back to Dean and faced him.

"Why?" he demanded, pained.

Dean laughed. "Why not? I did you all a favor. She was nothing but trouble."

"I think Mr. Potter may disagree with you."

"You really think I give a shit about what Harry thinks?"

Kingsley stepped to the edge of the rocks and looked over. Ginny was nowhere to be seen. He doubted that she could have survived that fall, even if she wasn't hit with Dean's killing curse first. He had seen the whole thing but had been unable to get there fast enough to save her.

Kingsley put his foot on Dean's leg and apparated them to an empty room in the hotel. He bound Dean's body one more time with ropes and chained him to the bed. He waited until, three minutes later, his assistant arrived and took over watch of Dean.

"Take him back to the Ministry - double the security on him. There's no way I want him escaping again," Kingsley said.

Shacklebolt's assistant nodded his head. "Anything I can do for you, Sir?" he asked.

Kingsley shook his head. "I have to do this alone. I have to tell Mr. Potter that his wife is dead."

XXX

It took Kingsley ten minutes of knocking to rouse Harry from his sleep. He opened his eyes, but he was so groggy, so confused! What was happening?

He looked for Ginny, but her side of the bed was empty. He noticed the doors to the balcony were open – she must be out there.

Another knock. "Ginny?" Harry squeaked out. No reply. "What?" he said to himself, unable to shake this feeling of being under water. He laid back down on the bed.

Four knocks, and Harry sat up again. He looked to the door of their room and got up slowly. He inched to the door and as he came closer, he said, "Did you forget your key, Gin?"

He opened the door and was shocked to see the Minister of Magic standing there in muggle clothing. He stepped back.

"Minister?" Harry said. He wrinkled his forehead. "I don't understand…"

"I know, Harry. Can we sit down for a minute?" Kingsley asked. Harry led him outside to the balcony.

"Why do I feel like I'm swimming in the ocean?" Harry asked, shaking his head.

"Sleeping spell, I imagine," Kingsley said slowly.

"What? What's going on, Minister?" Harry asked. "Hey, where's Ginny? I thought she'd be out here." Harry got up and went to the railing, looking over the grounds for his wife.

"Harry, please sit," Kingsley said. "I have something to tell you."

Harry turned and looked at Kingsley, who couldn't quite meet his eye. "What's going on?" Harry asked again, taking his seat.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, Harry, but Ginny's gone, I'm sorry."

Harry eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of what he just heard. "What are you talking about?"

"Dean escaped from the Ministry. He was biding his time until someone slipped up and then he was gone. As far as we can tell, he apparated to his parent's home and stole his father's wand, then apparated his way here. We don't know how, or have all of the details yet, but he must have overheard Ministry staff talking and knew that the four of you were here. They must have talked of the portkeys and the timing. Anyway, he followed you here as soon as he could escape.

I followed him as soon as I found out he had vanished. I found him here, he was with Ginny near the cliffs. When I got them in view, it was just in time to see him hit Ginny with a killing curse, Harry. I saw it, Ginny's gone. He killed her and then pushed her off of the cliff."

Harry smiled. He couldn't believe this dream – but it was so real! Wait until he told Ginny this one – she would laugh her head off. Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He just needed to rest for a minute and clear his head.

"Harry, please look at me. You must understand, this isn't a joke. Ginny's dead, Harry. She's not coming back." The Minister shook Harry's shoulder hard and his eyes snapped open.

"What?" Harry said. "What?"

"Gone, Harry. Ginny's gone. I saw it. Dean killed her, Harry, she's dead."

Harry shook his head. It couldn't be. He looked at the Minister with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but it's true. Ginny's dead. She's gone."

The scream that Harry let out was full of anguish. Kingsley brought him back inside and helped him to the bed. As Harry screamed and cried, Kingsley shut the balcony doors, cast muffliato and let Harry's grief run consume him. Once again, Kingsley produced his patronus, whispered his instructions and sent it off.

Eight minutes later, Hermione and Ron were there knocking on the door. Kingsley retold the story, as much as he knew, and comforted them as well as Harry. It was a long, depressing afternoon in that hotel room.

At dusk, Harry took Kingsley by the elbow, and as Hermione and Ron packed his things and theirs, brought him outside.

"Please show me where, and tell me what happened again," Harry said slowly to the Minister.

Kingsley nodded solemnly. He understood Harry's need to rehash the events of that morning. He exhaled loudly, and started.

"As I came over the crest of the hill there," Kingsley turned and pointed up to the spot, "I saw Dean and Ginny here." Kingsley and Harry arrived on the cliffs and they stopped. "Ginny was lying here on the ground and Dean was standing over her. He pointed his wand at her chest and killed her with the Avada Kedavra curse. Then, he pushed her to the edge and rolled her over it, right there."

Harry closed his eyes and turned away. He inched closer to the edge and glanced over. The water was splashing angrily against the rocks at the base of the cliffs shooting great sprays of water high into the air. The jagged rocks were everywhere, protruding upwards in great spires. There was no way Ginny could have survived the fall. Harry closed his eyes as the tears fell.

"Please give me a minute," Harry said without emotion and Kingsley turned away and walked up the hill.

Harry sat down on the edge of the cliff with his legs dangling over, watching the sunset. He felt like he weighed a thousand pounds and his head was pounding like never before. He couldn't comprehend what had happened.

The tears fell unchecked from his eyes as he thought about Ginny. It was so hard to believe that she was gone. There was nothing to confirm it! No body, nothing. All he had was Kingsley recount of the event. He knew that Kingsley was telling the truth, but Harry wanted, _needed_ more proof.

He sat there a long time turning the information over and over in his mind. He gave Dean an occasional thought and he grew angry each time, but mostly his thoughts were of Ginny. He didn't know how to grieve for her. The pain was too overwhelming. It seemed impossible that she was dead.

Harry scooted closer to the edge – his thighs nearly completely over. _One more wiggle, one push and I could be with Ginny forever,_ he thought. His hands were on either side of his hips and he wiggled again, closer now.

_Ginny, I love you so much. I hope you didn't suffer. I hope you're okay now – at peace._

Harry closed his eyes and scooted another inch, his feet braced against the cliff with just his butt left on the ledge. His hands were sweating. _One push…yes…_

"Harry!" Hermione screamed. "Don't Harry, please!"

Harry's eyes snapped open and he turned his head to see Hermione running down the slope towards him. He closed his eyes and dropped his head, knowing that he wouldn't jump now. The moment had passed and he silently said goodbye to Ginny knowing that he would never want to return here.

Hermione arrived and sat down beside him, and Harry scooted back, secure on the ledge once again. She wrapped her arms around Harry and he laid his head on her shoulder.

"Harry," she said softly getting her breath back. "It's going to be okay. Please don't think about doing anything foolish. We love you and we're going to be right here for you."

Harry nodded but said nothing. He and Hermione just sat there watching the waves plume upwards as they hit the cliffs and thinking about Ginny.

"Why her, Hermione?" Harry finally asked. "She didn't do anything wrong, she never hurt anyone purposely. Why couldn't Dean kill me? It was me that he was mad at. Why did he have to take it out on Ginny? And now she's gone, Hermione. I can't even believe it. We just started our lives together and now she's gone. We're never going to have kids together, I'll never see her smile again, I'll never see her beautiful hair blowing in the wind. I'll never kiss her again, never touch her. Why?"

Hermione rubbed Harry's back. "I don't know why, Harry. She was an amazing person. So tough, but so kind at the same time. She was so funny and sweet . I don't understand it, either, but I will try and help you through this, Harry. I'm so sorry."

Harry exhaled and the pair finally got up and turned back towards the hotel. "We better go find Ron. I've been so wrapped up in my grief that I never even considered that he lost a sister today."

"Ron is at the Burrow. He went on ahead to break the news to his family so that you didn't have to. I told him that you and I would meet him there as soon as you were up to it."

"Thanks, Hermione, for everything. I know that he must have needed you today, but I appreciate you staying with me," Harry said. Hermione nodded, took Harry's hand, touched the portkey and whirled through the air towards the Burrow.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

With no body for them to bring home, the Weasley family contented themselves with a small memorial service for Ginny. The backyard of the Burrow was filled with people who wanted to wish Ginny a final farewell.

Everyone was there, except for Ginny's brother Charlie, who couldn't accept Ginny's death. He couldn't face the fact that his sister was gone.

Harry stayed on the periphery, never engaging openly with anyone. He had cut himself off from nearly everyone, only speaking with Hermione and the Weasley's. He didn't feel like anyone else could understand his pain.

The family has set a picture of Harry and Ginny on their wedding day on a table covered with flowers as the centerpiece of the memorial. As people lingered there, they set their flower on the table, said a final prayer for Ginny and mingled in once again with the crowd.

The mourners began dispersing at dusk and were all gone minutes later. Harry collapsed into bed trying unsuccessfully to find sleep. He kept seeing flashes of Ginny in his mind, always laughing and smiling, full of life. His heart ached for her.

Harry was exhausted, having been unable to sleep or eat for the past three days, ever since Italy. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was lethargic.

He had gone to the Ministry when he returned to try and see Dean, but the officials there wouldn't allow it. Kingsley brought Harry into his office and tried to reason with him as Harry ranted and raved about seeing Dean. Kingsley would not budge in his decision. Dean had been kept under strict lock and key since his return, the Aurors at the Ministry now in charge of his keep.

The trial was set for the day after next, and Harry was fully planning on being in the first row, watching closely and making sure that Dean did not get away with murder.

Xxx

Harry sighed, exhausted and climbed from his bed. He walked through the kitchen and out the back door, planning on taking a long walk through the Burrow's grounds. He started out walking through the orchard, replaying his wedding to Ginny in his mind. He saw her as plain as if she was standing there in front of him. She was smiling and kissing him in her white lace dress, they were completely in love.

He closed his eyes and could feel the strands of her long beautiful hair running through his fingers; he could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. The smell was so real for Harry that he turned his head quickly, fully expecting to see Ginny just behind him. He was losing his mind.

He smiled sadly, realizing that he would never see her running towards him again. He would never hold her, feel her soft skin, hear her telling him that she loved him. Never again.

The realization was agony. Harry couldn't comprehend the fact that he would never see Ginny again. The truth of it was too cruel – they had just started their life together! How could they have been given so little time together only to be ripped apart – it was beyond anything that he could imagine.

Xxx

Harry flooed back to Grimmauld Place the following day and was immediately overcome by the abundance of Ginny's things. He never consciously realized how much Ginny's things had been integrated with his here. Her touches were everywhere, and again the overwhelming flowery smell of her was tangible. It was as if Ginny had just walked through the room, leaving behind her unique scent.

It was so real that Harry looked around the bottom floor, again expecting to find her there. He opened the door to the kitchen and found Kreacher there waiting for him.

"Master," Kreacher said, bowing low.

"Morning, Kreacher," Harry replied. "Has…anyone been here?"

"No, Master. Not since Master and Mistress left for holiday."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. Thanks."

Harry returned to the lounge and turned on the TV. He sat there idly watching mind-numbing shows for the rest of the day. Tomorrow was the trial, and he couldn't wait to face Dean.

XXX

The next morning, Harry flooed to the Burrow and went to the Ministry with the Weasley's. They got there early and took two lifts down to the Department of Mysteries where the trial was to be held. It was going to be a closed trial, so only the family and members of the Wizengamot would be in attendance. The Minister expected the proceedings to only last a couple of hours at the most – it was as close to a cut and dried case as he ever saw, and the Minister himself would be the key witness.

The family found their seats in the expansive room, the members of the court already seated and the presiding officer already set at his podium. He began,

"Called to order, the distinguished members of the Wizengamot are here to decide the fate of Dean Thomas, accused of numerous offenses including arson, kidnapping, attempted murder and murder in the first degree. Please bring in the defendant."

An antechamber under the floor of the room opened and Dean, chained to his chair, rose from below and was settled in the middle of the room. He glanced around and spotted Harry and the Weasley's easily. A small smile spread across his face and it was all Harry could to control his temper and not to strike Dean down right there.

"Please be aware, Members, that the maximum penalty allowable for each offense is as follows: arson has a maximum sentence of twenty years, kidnapping's maximum penalty is fifty years, and for both attempted murder and murder in the first degree, the maximum penalty is death. Now, let us begin with the first witness. Harry Potter, please come forward."

Harry rose from his seat and climbed to the right side of the judge and sat. He was sworn in and the questions began.

"Mr. Potter, can you tell us your version of the story related to the defendant and the charges of arson and kidnapping?"

Harry breathed in deep and looked around the room. He put his head down and began. He told the story from the beginning: the arson attack on the Burrow, the plan that the four of them had come up with to find the culprit, the cornering of Dean in the park and his kidnap of Ginny. Harry talked about how he managed to find her and rescue her from Dean's house, unharmed.

The entire time that Harry was speaking, Dean had sat there in the idle of the room with a sick grin on his face, like he was relishing the tale as told from Harry's perspective, He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"You say that Mr. Thomas acknowledged his guilt of the arson attack on the Burrow in your presence?" The judge asked.

"Yes, Sir," Harry answered. "It was in front of me, Ginny, Hermione and Ron."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter for your recount. You may step down." Harry made his way back to the Weasley's, staying as far away from Dean as he could. Harry knew that if he got within reach of him, that Dean would be sorely sorry.

"Minister Shacklebolt, please take the stand." Kingsley made his way to the chair that Harry had just vacated, and was sworn in.

"Sir, would you please tell us in your own words your account of the events as they relate to the defendant?"

"Of course," Kingsley said. "I knew that Harry was interested in helping us search for the arsonist, as he had said as much to me in the hospital. However, I was unaware that the foursome had taken it upon themselves to launch their own search until Mr. Thomas was brought into the Ministry by Mr. Potter. I can tell you my first hand account of events from that moment on."

Kingsley took his time in telling the judge and Wizengamot about Dean being taken into custody, the story that Harry had told him that day of how they had captured Dean and his treatment of Ginny.

"Mr. Thomas was taken to the detention room and was held there until he could be brought to trial. He was being guarded by a rotation of Aurors. Throughout Mr. Thomas' internment, it is believed that the Aurors would occasionally speak of Mr. Potter and the happenings in his life and these discussions were overheard by Mr. Thomas. On the day that he escaped, Mr. Thomas was being guarded by one Auror, as the rest of the small group were assigned to various duties, and since we had had no trouble from Mr. Thomas up to that point, I agreed to the scaled-down guard.

Well, the Auror in charge became lax in his duties, ventured too close to Mr. Thomas for an instant, enough time for Mr. Thomas to reach the Auror's wand and grab it out of his hand, wrap his legs about the Auror's neck and snap it, killing him instantly.

Mr. Thomas used the Auror's wand to disconnect the binds around his wrists. He changed clothes with the Auror, used charms to disguise his appearance and walked to the atrium of the Ministry.

The deceased Auror was discovered minutes after the incident, and an alert was sent out immediately. Mr. Thomas was cornered as soon as he reached the lifts and a struggle ensued during which time the wand that Mr. Thomas had taken was broken in half.

He fought off two Ministry staff and made it to the fireplaces, where he flooed to the street, and as far as we are able to determine, Mr. Thomas then apparated to his family home, In want of a new wand, it's guessed that when he got there, he stole his father's wand and, now knowing the whereabouts of Harry and Ginny, apparated throughout Europe until he came to the hotel where they were staying in Italy.

We can further assume that he didn't have to wait long for Ginny to appear alone on the balcony, and he didn't waste any time in stunning a sleeping Harry and grabbing Ginny, who was wandless and defenseless. He took her to the cliffs at the edge of the water, 300 or so feet in the air as far as I could tell."

Kingsley paused to take a breath and shook his head. He continued slowly, "As soon as I was notified of his escape, I ordered all Aurors on the case, and I apparated myself to his home. I found his parent's there, stupefied. I reversed the spell, but they had no idea where he had gone. According to them, he didn't say a word when he was there, just stunned them, took the wand and apparated out. They said that he had only been there about three minutes total.

I apparated to the only place I could think of, knowing full well that while under our supervision, Mr. Thomas had spoken of nothing but revenge. I was about twenty minutes behind him by the time I got to Italy. I popped in on the crest of a hill between the hotel and the water, immediately spotting Mr. Thomas and Ginny. Ginny was on the ground, not moving, and Mr. Thomas was standing over her. I was about to raise my wand when he pointed his wand at her chest and killed her with the Avada Kedavra curse, then sent her over the cliff.

I stupefied him and bound him. I snapped his wand and threw it over the cliff. I looked for Ginny, but couldn't see a trace of her. All the while, Mr. Thomas had a twisted sort of smirk on his face, like he was enjoying the moment immensely. It made me sick."

Kingsley paused and looked up at the judge. "My assistant met me in Italy and took custody of Mr. Thomas. He was brought back here and restrained until he could stand trial."

The room was silent. For many, this was the first time that they heard every detail about Ginny's death and they were stunned. Not only that she had died, but they couldn't believe the violent and cruel way that it had been done. The members of the Wizengamot stared at Dean Thomas, and he looked back up at them, undisturbed by their judgment.

After a few moments to taken to collect his thoughts, the judge continued, "Well, is there anyone here that is willing to testify on behalf of the defendant, or give testimony as to his innocence? Any further questions for the witnesses?"

No one moved or even breathed.

"Well, then. The defendant will be returned to his cell and the Members of the Wizengamot will deliberate and come to a verdict. The court will recess for an hour, at which time we will reconvene and judgment will be given."

The judge banged his gavel loudly, Dean was removed and the Weasley's along with Harry and Hermione, filed out of the claustrophobic room.

XXX

"I think it went well," Hermione said as the family sat in a small café two blocks from the Ministry entrance. "It all moved very fast, I thought."

Harry nodded. "It should be an easy decision."

"Thank you, Harry, for your testimony." Mrs. Weasley said. The family was unusually silent, not yet back to their boisterous selves. They were still grieving for Ginny, unable to believe that this was all quite real. Harry knew just how they felt. He was numb.

They all finished their coffees and snacks and headed back to the courtroom. The Wizengamot had reassembled, and everyone was still. Dean was brought back in to the room, and the judge banged his gavel, reconvening the court.

He addressed the members. "Have the members of the Wizengamot come to a verdict as to the guilt or innocence of Dean Thomas?"

An elderly woman stood and faced the judge. "We have, Sir."

"And was it a unanimous decision?"

"Yes, Sir," she replied.

"What say you all on the charge of arson?"

"Guilty, your honor."

"What say you on the charge of kidnapping?"

"Guilty, your honor."

"What say you on the charge of attempted murder?"

"Guilty, your honor."

"And what say you on the charge of murder in the first degree?"

"Guilty, your honor."

Dean continued to smirk at the gathered group, completely unfazed that he was no longer a free man.

The judge continued," Have you further decided upon sentences for said crimes?"

"We have, your honor."

"Continue."

"On the charge of arson, we sentence Dean Thomas to 10 years in Azkaban. On the charge of kidnapping, we sentence Dean Thomas to 30 years in Azkaban. On the charge of attempted murder of Ginny Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley, we sentence Dean Thomas to 30 years in Azkaban for each count. And, on the charge of murder in the first degree, we sentence Dean Thomas to death."

A gasp came from Mrs. Weasley, and tears ran down her cheeks. Arthur put his arm around her and tried to comfort her.

Dean was taken from the room and taken directly to Azkaban where he would await the carrying out of his death sentence. Harry didn't have time to say anything to him, and he was glad. Dean wasn't worth his time.

"Come on," Harry said at last, rising. "Let's go home."

**A/N: Man, you guys were rough with the reviews for the last chapter. If you know me at all, you know that I have a plan. I just wish you would have trusted me a little before being mad at me for killing off Ginny. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Even after much begging and pleading by Mrs. Weasley, Harry refused to stay at the Burrow any longer, electing rather to return to Grimmauld Place. He wanted to be alone, to be where he and Ginny had been happiest.

He walked endlessly from room to room, picturing her everywhere. Her in the bottom floor bedroom after the fire, her coming towards him in her wedding gown, her in sweats and thick socks on the couch watching TV with him, making love to her on the staircase, her at the kitchen table, in their bed – God, it was torture.

Harry had never cried so much as he had the past few days. He couldn't grasp the very real fact that Ginny was gone and not coming back. It was impossible to think that he was going to live perhaps another sixty or seventy years on this earth without her. Every time he thought of that, a heavy weight pressed down on Harry.

The only thing that Harry could see to be thankful for was that he hadn't seen it happen. He was sure that if he had to relive Ginny's murder over and over again in his mind's eye it would surely drive him insane.

He spent hours thinking of a way that this was a mistake. Something had to be off. Maybe Kingsley was wrong – maybe Ginny had survived somehow. She was so strong and such a powerful witch, it just didn't seem possible that she couldn't fight against Dean. True, she hadn't had her wand with her, but maybe…somehow…

Harry sighed. It was futile, he knew, to try and rationalize what had happened. He just wanted Ginny back so badly that he ached for her. He just wanted to hold her in his arms one more time and tell her that he loved her.

He felt foolish now that he had let his guard down so easily. He so much wanted to believe that he and the people that he loved were no longer in danger from Voldemort or his followers that he had actually stopped carrying his wand everywhere, had stopped looking over his shoulder constantly, had stopped hearing people coming up behind him wherever he went. And Ginny had paid the price for it.

Harry hoped that wherever Ginny was now, that she wasn't in pain or scared or lonely. He missed her so much. He wished that he could turn back time and relive that day over again, and he would have been able to save her. Ginny…

Xxx

_**Dean reached around Ginny with his right arm and stuck his wand square in her face. He said, "stupefy!" and Ginny was instantly rigid, unable to move and unable to speak. Dean laid her gently on the ground and stood over her, then knelt down by her side. "It was nice knowing you, Ginny, even if you did turn out to be a real bitch in the end." Dean leaned down and kissed her.**_

_**Ginny's eyes were wild. She had to do something!**_

"_**Move! Move! Harry! Harry, help me! Oh God. Oh, God. Harry, I love you! I love you!" Ginny thought. "Concentrate, Ginny. Focus all of your power into this one thought, Ginny, it's now or never. Concentrate – now! Protego!"**_

She felt a small eruption of power explode from her center a split second before Dean cast the killing curse at her. It wasn't an extremely powerful shield, but it was enough to save her life. She felt the deep ripple of pain flood her body, and it was heaved off the ground by the power behind Dean's spell, but she was alive. Still alive.

She felt Dean roll her body towards to cliff, and she focused again, knowing what he was planning to do. She had no idea how to save herself, but she wasn't going to die while doing nothing. Ginny focused all of her hatred for Dean and all of her love for Harry into her spell. She hoped that casting it non-verbally and wandless was going to be enough.

Without hesitation, Dean pushed her off of the cliff and she was tumbling and twirling round and round headed for the rocky water.

_Okay, focus, Ginny. Concentrate, envision it working. Now! Protego!_

Again, she felt the eruption of the shield, stronger this time and more complete around her body. She concentrated and focused on keeping it strong. She tried to brace herself for the impact and she hit the rocks hard, the air in her lungs being expunged, rolling off into the deep, cold waters.

Her body ached. She could feel deep cuts and gashes all over, and she was sure that her right arm was broken along with a couple of her ribs. She went under the water, bobbed back to the surface where he inhaled as deep as her lungs would allow, and then she disappeared again under the waves, swimming as far down stream as possible.

She emerged about 100 feet from where she went under and hid herself behind the large rocks there. She swam slowly, and kept swimming until she was out of sight of any civilization. She hung on to the rocks, hiding still, for as long as she could, and then she climbed slowly from the water onto the jagged rocks.

She lay there exhausted, trying to get her breath back and nursing her wounded body and bones. She kept her soaking robe wrapped tightly around her, using the cloth belt to make a makeshift sling for her arm. She looked around and had no idea how she was going to get out of there, she couldn't climb the steep cliffs and there was nothing but water to her left.

She had no alternative – she had to wait to be rescued.

Xxx

Ginny must have drifted off on the spiky rocks, but was roused from her sleep by a man's voice. She was suddenly awake, frightened that it may be Dean coming back to make sure that she was dead. Her eyes snapped open and she was staring up into the grey eyes of a man she didn't recognize.

"Hey there. Do you speak English?" he asked.

Ginny nodded. "Yes." She tried to get up, but winced. She hurt everywhere.

"Wow, you're in bad shape. I'm John by the way. Let me try and help you - slowly, now."

John put his arm under Ginny and helped her to stand. She stood hunched over. A wave of nausea swept through her and her head ached.

"Ribs…hurt. Arm…broken," she said slowly, feeling the full extent of her injuries now.

"What happened to you? It couldn't have been a fall!" John said looking up at the sheer face of the cliffs and Ginny winced. She hadn't thought about what she would tell people. She improvised.

"I don't remember," she said feebly. She had always been a terrible liar.

"Let's get you some help." John helped her to walk slowly to the edge of the rocks and his friend helped her into his boat as John climbed in behind her. Ginny lay down on the seat there, and was taken across the sound to the closest hospital on the mainland.

It was there, four days later, where Charlie finally found her.

Charlie, upon hearing the news from his family, refused to believe that his only sister was dead. He headed straight to Italy and scoured the entire island of Capri searching for Ginny. Every nook and cranny of the hotel had been searched as well as the cliffs, rocks and waters surrounding the area. He couldn't find a trace of Ginny, but he refused to give up. Once he covered every inch of Capri, he took a boat to Sorrento and began searching for her there.

He started at the water's edge and asked every person he saw if they had seen Ginny. He carried a picture of her taken at the Burrow the night before she and Harry had left for this trip.

The hospitals and morgues were next. He brought her picture everywhere, hoping that someone would recognize her.

The hospital Della Santa Maria was his final stop in Sorrento before moving on to the next town.

"Mi scusi, si prega," Charlie began. "Avete visto questa ragazza?" (Excuse me, please. Have you seen this girl?)

He handed the nurse the picture of Ginny and her eyes flew open wide. "Segualo prego," (follow me) the nurse said, gesturing to Charlie. She led him to the lifts and got out on the fourth floor. They went through three sets of double doors to the intensive care ward. She went to the second door on the left and opened it slowly.

"E questo lei?" she asked (Is this she?). Charlie nodded and a wide grin spread across his face. He walked in the room and closed the door behind him, coming to sit on Ginny's left.

She was sleeping when he entered, so he sat staring at her, unable to really believe that he had found her. It was a thin probability that she was alive, he knew, but he had refused to believe it, and now his persistence had been worth it. Here she was, his beautiful little sister and he wept.

He took Ginny's hand and held it, assessing the injuries that he could see. Her face had deep lacerations all across it, adding to the scar that she had gotten from the fire. Her hands were bandaged and her arm was in a cast, but she was here and she was breathing on her own – a miracle.

His first thought was that he would have to get her back to St. Mungo's soon. He was sure that she could be helped more by Healers then muggle doctors.

Ginny stirred and flexed her hand. She woke instantly, feeling a hand in hers and she was stunned to see her brother there. The tears started as soon as she saw Charlie and she sat up and held him gently as they both cried.

"Charlie?" she said, lying back on her bed gently. "How are you here? How did you find me?"

"You know I would never believe that you were gone. Ginny, you're my sister, and we've always been close. We have a connection that no one else has – I just _felt _that you weren't gone. I just knew. Of course, I had to find you."

"I'm so relieved. I can't believe it. I didn't think that anyone would still be looking for me. How long has it been since the…what do I call it?" she giggled.

Charlie laughed, too. "Attempt on your life?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I guess that'll do."

"About four days. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not so bad right now. They've been giving me something for the pain, but to tell you the truth, I'd much rather be at St. Mungo's."

Charlie nodded. "I would you rather be there as well, but I don't want you to move for a while yet. I don't want to make your injuries worse by apparating with you. Do you want to talk about what happened yet?"

Ginny shook her head, twirling Charlie's hand over in hers. "I think that I'm still trying to come to terms with it all. Soon, though, okay?" Charlie nodded, understanding how difficult it must have been.

Ginny said softly, "Thank you, Charlie." He leaned down and kissed her temple.

"Anytime, Squirt." She smiled at his nickname for her. He hadn't called her that in years.

"Does everyone think that I'm dead?" she asked and Charlie nodded again.

"Yeah, they called me with the news, but I came here instead of going home. They seem to be in pretty bad shape, as you can imagine."

"Poor Mom, poor Harry! He must be crazy right now. I can only imagine if I was the one thinking he was gone. I couldn't bear it. How is he – have you spoken with him?"

"No, I never talked to Harry. According to Mom, he wasn't really speaking with anyone at all. Keeping to himself really."

"I can't let him go on like this. If I know Harry, he's probably blaming himself in some way. Can you get him Charlie? Can you bring him here?"

Charlie nodded, "Sure. What about the family? Should I tell them, too?" He wanted the decision to be hers.

"Yes, please, but I only want Harry to come back with you, okay? I don't need Mom fussing. And, anyway, when I'm a bit better, we can go to St. Mungo's. It won't be long before that happens."

Charlie nodded and stood up. "Then, the Burrow first, and then I make Harry the happiest man in the world. See you soon, Squirt." He bent down and kissed his sister and apparated with a pop.

Xxx

Charlie waved to his Mom and Dad, leaving them with smiles and tears after hearing the amazing news of Ginny's survival and he flooed from the Burrow to Grimmauld Place. As he stepped from the fireplace, Kreacher was there in an instant.

"Your business here?" Kreacher asked.

"I'm Charlie Weasley, Ginny's brother and I'm here to see Harry."

Kreacher nodded. "Master keeps to his room. It's at the top of the third flight of stairs," and Kreacher showed Charlie to the staircase.

"Thank you," Charlie said as he took the stairs two at a time. He couldn't wait to tell Harry the news.

He reached the third landing and knocked on the huge door of the master bedroom. "Harry?" he said loudly and knocked again. "Harry, open up."

Inside, Harry heard the knock but couldn't quite place the voice. He got up from bed and opened the door, surprised to find Charlie there grinning at him. Harry grimaced at the smile that seemed out of place and returned to his bed, allowing Charlie entry.

"Harry, how are you?"

Harry glared at Charlie. "What are you talking about, Charlie? How the hell do you think I am?"

Charlie sighed. "I need you to come someplace with me, Harry."

Harry sighed and closed his eyes again. "Not now, Charlie. I'm not going anywhere." Harry turned onto his side.

"Alright, then you give me no choice, but I thought you'd like to freshen up a bit. I can see that isn't going to happen, so here goes…"

Charlie grasped Harry's hand and twisted, apparating them both to Ginny's room, Harry landing with a loud thump on the floor.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Charlie? Can't you see that I'm…" Harry stopped yelling, dumbfounded. He was staring at a ghost with beautiful, long red hair.

"No…" he cried and put his head down. "Why are you being so cruel, Charlie? Why are you doing this to me?" Harry's shoulders slumped and he curled onto the floor, closing his eyes.

"Harry?" the ethereal voice said. Harry would recognize it anywhere. "It's okay, Harry. I'm alive, I'm here."

Harry shook his head. He didn't understand anything anymore.

Ginny climbed from her bed carefully with Charlie's help, was able to sit on the floor next to Harry. She stroked his hair and let him come to terms with the truth at his own pace. She frowned at the beard on his face, thinking that it had been many days since he had even thought about shaving. His eyes were bloodshot, he had dark circles under his eyes and he had lost weight. He had suffered, too.

Ginny wished she could take it all back for him.

Charlie quietly left the room and went to find a hotel close by.

Ginny sat there on the floor holding Harry and comforting him, smoothing his hair and touching his face. He never looked more handsome to her and she smiled, loving having him here with his head in her lap. She never thought she'd have this again.

"It's okay, Harry," she repeated. "Look at me."

Harry finally rolled over and sat up. He couldn't believe…couldn't trust what he was seeing. How could this be happening? Kingsley said…

"Ginny?" he finally managed to squeak out and she nodded. "How? I don't understand…"

She took his hand in hers and explained everything that had happened. She didn't mind talking about it with didn't know herself why her spell had worked, protecting her from Dean and the fall, but it had somehow. She and Hermione had been playing around with non-verbal spells, but she had never been able to cast a spell non-verbally and without a wand.

"You're alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "A few broken bones and cuts, but…yeah, as fine as I can be."

Harry helped her to her feet. "Ginny…" he said in a whisper. "Please tell me that I'm not dreaming. I can't live through losing you again."

"You're not dreaming, Harry. I'm here and I love you so much." Ginny leaned closer to Harry and pressed her lips to his.

He held her gently. They stood there a long time holding and touching and kissing.

"I missed you," he said.

Ginny smiled. "Me, too."

He helped her back into bed and sat close, holding her hand tightly.

"You're never leaving my side again, you know that?" Harry asked her.

Ginny smiled. "Yeah, I was kind of counting on you saying that. I never want to be anywhere else, Harry."

They finally felt at peace – they had each other. And they counted their blessings as they watched the sun come up over the mountains. It was a whole new day.

_The End_

**A/N: Okay, do you all finally forgive me? I had to make it a little exciting at the end. It was so fluffy most of the way through, I wanted to throw you a curveball. Man, was I wrong! I never had so many readers so mad at me before. You all know that I love Harry and Ginny – I would never make them unhappy in the long run. I love happy endings too much.**

**I hope you enjoyed the story – and I really appreciate your feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly! Thanks so taking the time to read and to write comments. I read and loved them all.**


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